By Ben Gilby
The Azzurri were held to a draw at Dorrien Gardens this afternoon by Fremantle City in a tight battle.
Perth head coach Tom Glavovic made one change from the starting line-up that defeated the Football West Academy last weekend, and it was a major one. Last year’s Gold medal winning attacker Ella Lincoln came back into the side after her first A-League Women season with Perth Glory. Matilda Boehm was out of the squad.
The opening quarter of an hour was a real arm-wrestle between these two in form sides. Freo, after a tough start results wise, came into this game unbeaten in three. It was the visitors who conjured up the first opportunity of the afternoon as Abbey Green danced along the left flank, combining excellently with Sophie Meaden in a move which ended with Meaden getting a shot away that Dayle Schroeder saved.
The Azzurri then put together an incisive move with Jess Flannery providing a centimetre perfect long pass through for Louise Tana to the right of centre. Her low shot went across Freo keeper Megan Phillips, and Lincoln was only denied at the back post by a superb covering block.
Perth were now on top, and Flannery’s eye for on point passing showed once more with 22 minutes played as she found Daisy McAllister who broke through but hit her shot just wide of the left-hand post.
Just two minutes later, the Azzurri were ahead, and it was another superb team goal, allied with a piece of outstanding finishing.
Sam Mathers held possession and found Lincoln outside the box to lay off to Flannery who returned the favour. Under close attention from two defenders, Lincoln showed great poise to play the ball back to Mathers, who was stationed just outside the box. Mathers looked up and saw Flannery outside her. The young Perth attacker turned Alex Poad brilliantly and then bent a stunning shot into the right hand corner.
Freo looked to hit back with 11 minutes of the half remaining as Leyna Wood supplied a pass along the left for Mikayla Lyons at the near post, but Schroeder saved.
Perth had an excellent chance shortly afterwards to double their advantage, as McAllister picked Hannah Reynolds’ pocket and broke through to the edge of the area where she found Lincoln whose shot went over the top.
Then, just two minutes before the interval, the port city side levelled. Phillips’ high goal kick bounced inside the Perth half for Wood to feed Lyons who ran through and finished calmly under the onrushing Schroeder to ensure the sides went in level at the break.
Defences were on top in the second half with clear cut chances few and far between. The best opportunity fell the Azzurri’s way just three minutes in when, from a free kick inside the Perth half, Annabelle Leek played the ball backwards towards Reynolds who was put under immediate pressure by Lincoln. The Perth attacker won the ball and advanced one on one with Phillips, but the visitors’ keeper pulled of an excellent save.
Much of the reminder of this encounter was akin to an arm wrestle with both sides having plenty of possession, but out and out chances were extremely limited.
With 15 minutes of the half played, Flannery advanced along the left and fed Tana, who saw her shot blocked by Poad.
There were a flurry of late half chances with Lincoln holding off her defender, but Phillips held onto the shot. For the visitors, Catherine Adams saw a shot go narrowly over the top a minute into stoppage time.
The final glimmer of a possibility came for Maja Archibald who worked hard to get a low shot away from the right-hand side of the box which rolled across the face of goal and out of play, and both sides had to settle for a point.
Teams: PERTH SC: Schroeder, Nossent, Collins, McCartney, McAllister, Archibald, Marshall, Lincoln, Flannery, Tana, Mathers. Substitutes: Ottobrino, Warburton, Garcia, McCready, Rennie, Cavill.
Scorer: Flannery 24’.
FREMANTLE CITY: Phillips, Poad, Leek, Osborne, Reynolds, Adams, Kiama, Meaden, Green, Wood, Lyons. Substitutes: Siah, Harries, Johnson, Spencer.
Scorers: Lyons 43’.
Referee: Jasmine Bremner.