Perth SC 4 Fremantle City 1
By Ben Gilby
Perth are through to the NPLW WA Night Series Final after an impressive victory over Fremantle City at Dorrien Gardens tonight.
The Azzurri were quick out of the blocks. With less than a minute on the clock, Sam Mathers broke through to find Daisy McAllister who in turn fed Hannah Collins who saw her shot go wide. Freo responded by forcing Dayle Schroeder into a save from Isabelle Lush.
The port city side were looking to maintain possession at all costs in the face of the Perth high press. From one such move, Erin Siah was able to run at the Azzurri defence before laying off a perfectly weighted ball into the feet of Leyna Wood who shot wide of the right hand post.
Perth stepped up the intensity of their press and the crispness of their passing as the creative weapons took a hold of the midfield battle. There was cohesion between defence and midfield, and the team were united in looking to find space between the Fremantle defence to thread the pass.
With 19 minutes played, Kim McCartney strode through the midfield and played in Epril Nossent perfectly to get a shot away, which Megan Phillips saved.
Jess Flannery and Daisy McAllister were key components in Perth’s growth into the game. Flannery was a menace out on the left supplying dangerous balls into the box, with McAllister’s combination of pace and perfectly weighted passes causing Freo all sorts of problems.
Then, with 24 minutes on the clock, the Azzurri hit the front. A ball in from the left wasn’t cleared by the Freo defence, allowing McAllister to pounce and lash the ball home.
Perth were full of energy, looking to fizz the ball around and rapidly close down Fremantle, and it was this approach that saw them double their advantage just five minutes later.
Janice Kiama was put under huge pressure at the back by the Perth press, and the ball was eventually played across to Flannery who hit a rocket from the left hand edge of the box into the net.
Freo tried to respond with Wood seeing a shot blocked, but Perth had another superb opportunity shortly afterwards as McAllister found Ruby Marshall who smashed in a shot that Philips pushed wide.
As the half approached its last five minutes, the port city side won a corner on the right which provoked a scramble around the six yard box. Schroeder and her defence blocked several efforts, but Kiama turned the ball home from close range.
Freo ended the half beginning to pile on the pressure after grabbing the lifeline, and half-time came at the right time for Perth as it killed off the momentum.
Sure enough, it was the Azzurri who restored their dominance at the start of the second half. McCartney was a key figure in her side building their way forward again.
After Flannery saw her shot saved by Phillips following Violet Longmore pouncing on loose play from Annabelle Leek, Perth extended their lead back to two.
McAllister’s corner on the right was played short to Flannery who fired in a low shot that Longmore got a touch to from close range to turn the ball in.
Yeo remained the main threat for Freo on the left and she forced Schroeder into several second half saves.
Coming on from the bench, Maja Archibald showed her immense potential – a sumptuous ball out to Mathers allowed the Perth #13 to advance and hit a shot from a narrow angle that came back off the post.
Freo had three further chances – first when Yeo fed Wood whose lofted shot bounced wide, then as Siah broke clean through only to be denied in a one-on-one with Schroeder with Longmore tidying up. Finally, Yeo looked to have levelled the scores once more when fed by Siah, but her shot rolled agonisingly wide of the far post.
In the final 10 minutes, the Azzurri stepped it up once more, and Louise Tana saw a low shot from the left held by Phillips. Then, Kiama brought the Perth sub down in the box. However, Phillips got down low to save Flannery’s penalty.
However, there was still time for Tom Glavovic’s side to grab a fourth, and it came in some style. McCartney powered home a free-kick from the right out side the box that had too much on it for Phillips to repel.
Perth SC now go on to face Balcatta Etna in the final next Friday night at the Sam Kerr Football Centre.
Teams: PERTH SC: Schroeder, Longmore, Insch, Nossent, Collins, Marshall, McAllister, Boehm, Mathers, Flannery, McCartney. Substitutes used: Tana (for Insch), Archibald (for Marshall), Hope (for Nossent), Hannan (for Flannery), Ottobrino (for McAllister).
Scorers: McAllister 24’, Flannery 29’, Longmore 60’, McCartney 90’.
FREMANTLE CITY: Phillips, Leek, Spencer, Kiama, Yeo, Meaden, Lush, Osborne, Siah, Poad, Wood. Substitutes used: None.
Scorer: Kiama 40’.
Referee: Stewart Beattie.