Round 10 Review – Slow Start Hurts MUWFC

Round 10 of the 2019 South Australian WNPL saw a typically fiery and physical contest between 2 powehouses in MUWFC and West Adelaide at T.K Shutter Reserve on Saturday.

The game started very evenly with neither side giving much away, with only a few half chances. However that all changed in the 10th minute where a seemingly harmless back pass to Olivia Beer was hunted down by West Adelaide’s Georgia Macri, who gave Beer no time on the ball, blocked her clearance and the ball deflected in for West to take a 1-0 lead.

That sprung West Adelaide into action as they had the best of the next 20 mins, eventually doubling their lead on 21 minutes after a Nicole Tilley freekick came crashing off the crossbar, the MUWFC defence were napping and West tapped it home from a few yards out.

This finally woke MUWFC up, as we started to string passes together and create chances. On 27 minutes, Laura Stockdale played a gorgeous diagonal through ball to the ever dangerous Donna Cockayne, who made no mistake with a clinical side footed finish past West Adelaide keeper Sarah Willacy.

The rest of the first half was all MUWFC, with Chrissy Panagaris having a great chance to equalise, however the ball sprayed agonisgly wide of the upright.

The second half started much the same as the end of the first, with MUWFC creating the better chances, but as has been the common theme this season, there was no finishing product.

West Adelaide then produced the sucker punch on 55 minutes, when a miscommunication between Olivia Beer and Jess Signoriello attempting to play the ball out, was pounced on and buried from close range by West to restore the 2 goal buffer.

From that point on, West Adelaide were happy to sit back as MUWFC piled on the pressure and created many more chances, but again lacked the finishing touch mainly due to bad decision making in the final third.

On 82 minutes Ebony Kyriacou gave MUWFC sniff with a trademark bombarding run foward straight through midfield, playing a 1-2 with Laura Stockdale, then shooting from 20 yards with a shot that was too hot to handle for Willacy in the West goal and it squirmed in through her legs.

The final 10 minutes, MUWFC were unlucky not to equalise, when chances, goal mouth scrambles and set pieces all came and went as West Adelaide defended gallantly, and held on for the win.

Match Details: Friday May 3 2019 South Australian WNPL 2019 – Round 9

MUWFC 2 (Cockayne 27′, Kyriacou 82′) West Adelaide 3 (Macri 10′, 55′, Pritchard 21′) Venue: T.K Shutter Reserve