Perth SC 1-2 Balcatta Etna
by Ben Gilby
The Azzurri’s Top Four Cup bid ended in heart-ache after a late own-goal ensured that it will be Balcatta Etna who go on to face Perth RedStar in Saturday’s final.
Tonight’s encounter was tough on these teams. Both had been taken to extra-time at the weekend, Perth ended up going all the way to penalties against Perth RedStar, and had 24 hours less to recover compared to Balcatta.
Encounters between these two sides are always tight and tense – they know each other inside out with so many players taking on their former clubs.
Perth head coach Tom Glavovic made two changes to his starting line-up from Sunday’s clash with Perth RedStar. Matilda Boehm came in for Tijan McKenna, and Maja Archibald replaced Georgia Cassidy.
Whilst Balcatta looked to maintain possession and territory in the early stages, it was the hosts who gained the first opportunity of the game with 17 minutes played. Boehm played the ball forward, and after an initial Balcatta interception, Epril Nossent picked up possession and fed Ella Lincoln. The Perth attacker played a pass to Daisy McAllister outside her, who advanced to hit a low shot that Rebecca Bennett got down well to save at the left-hand post.
Just before the half-hour mark, Balcatta threatened as Lucy Jerram drove along the right and fired an angle drive that Dayle Schroeder held.
A minute later, the visitors had better luck as, from a throw-in on the right, Jamie-Lee Gale played in a high cross which Alyssa van Heurck met with a side-footed volley that flew into the net. It remained 1-0 to Balcatta at the interval.
The visitors had the early chances in the second half, with Schroeder coming out well to deny Gale in a one-on-one. Within two minutes, Schroeder saved impressively again as Jerram hit a goal-bound effort.
Perth then hit back and produced their most sustained spell of attacking football. With just over half an hour to play, substitute Ruby Marshall won possession and crossed in from the right – Violet Longmore was poised to turn the ball in – but there was Carys Davis in the right place at the right time to deny the home side.
The Azzurri created two more excellent chances – first, Lincoln burst along the right and cut in to hit a low shot that Bennett gathered. Then Flannery threaded a pass to Lincoln from the left. The ball was then moved on to Louise Tana to hit a shot just wide of the left-hand post.
However, Balcatta were not out of the equation, and Gale again advanced through on goal and saw her shot lift narrowly over the top.
Then, with 11 minutes remaining, Perth got a reward for their pressure. Tana was brought down right on the edge of the box on the left-hand side by Izzy Foletta. Up stepped Kim McCartney to curl yet another of her picture-perfect free-kicks into the top of the net.
However, any hopes that the NPLW WA champions had of completing their comeback were shattered just six minutes later.
Awarded a free-kick on the right-hand side, Foletta lifted the set-piece into the mix, and the ball was headed into their own net by a Perth defender.
The hosts pushed hard in the remaining time, but could only create one real chance – and it saw Ruby Marshall head narrowly over the top from a Sam Mathers’ corner.
It was heart-break for Perth, who, after winning the NPLW WA title for the first time this season, have fallen in the cruellest way possible in both their Top Four Cup ties. A penalty shoot-out loss to Perth RedStar on Sunday, and now a late own-goal.
Despite this, there is so much for the team to be proud of, and it will provide some fire to ensure they can clinch the Top Four Cup in 2026, as it is now the one remaining piece of silverware that has alluded our women’s team so far.
Teams: PERTH SC: Schroeder, Longmore, Boehm, McCartney, Nossent, Collins, McAllister, Archibald, Mathers, Lincoln, Flannery. Substitutes: McKenna, Marshall, Tana, Ottobrino, Cassidy, Ingrey.
Scorer: McCartney 79′.
BALCATTA ETNA: Bennett, Murray, Foletta, van Heurck, Davis, M. D’Opera, Marwick, Jarvis, Jerram, Meakins, Gale. Substitutes: Cook, Duncanson, Hargreaves, Britton, Comito.
Scorers: van Heurck 29′, Own Goal 85′.