South Melbourne can advise the date for the Annual General Meeting has been set for Wednesday 24th of January 2018.
The AGM will be held in the 1959 Bar and Grill at Lakeside Stadium, 25 Albert Road Drive, Albert Park.
Eligible voting members of the club will receive notification via email or via post.
SMFC & Firbank Grammar Information Session
South Melbourne FC is proud to progress its partnership with Firbank Grammar School through an Information Session at the club at 5:30pm on Thursday 16 November.
Representatives of SMFC and Firbank will be on hand to deliver a presentation for footballers, students and parents to learn more about the school’s Learning Journey and Scholarship opportunities.
Firbank footballers are familiar with South Melbourne FC with students having played for the club for a number of years, including in the 2016 Championship winning Senior squad and in the National Premier League teams in 2017.
Similar to SMFC, Firbank football is no stranger to success both on and off the pitch. This year their Senior GSV team featuring South Melbourne players had a dominant season performance to secure the Girls Sports Victoria Championship. The girls went through the season undefeated and without conceding a goal. They finished at the top of the table in their zone, defeated MLC 0-5 in the Semi Final and then secured the title with a 1-0 victory over Sacre Couer.
Speaking to SMFC, Director of Admissions Dr Jenny Peters said “We see the direction of the football club, their board and their operations team as being at the cutting edge of 21st century learning. Both Firbank and South Melbourne Football Club are members of the local community who future focused skills and capabilities to our children.”
“We share the same values in advancing education of girls and boys. Most importantly we provide children with a choice of pathways, those who want to challenge their limits and compete at an elite level, to those who want to participate, exercise and share the sporting experience with their friends. Firbank Grammar is proud to offer Scholarships to the sons and daughters of the families of the South Melbourne Football Club” she said.
South Melbourne FC’s Director of Women’s Football Gabrielle Giuliano said “Our vision is is to be at the the forefront of women’s football through our actions, core beliefs and onfield performance. It is the football values and expertise we are able to share with the broader community that makes our program such a success. Our partnership with Firbank Grammar School is the next evolution in this journey and presents an opportunity for our club to further contribute to the advancement in football with a quality and highly regarded educational institution.”
The following two events enable footballers, students and parents to understand more about South Melbourne FC, Firbank Grammar School and the learning opportunities available through the school from their Early Leaning Centres through to Year 12.
Firbank School Open Morning
Sandringham Co-educational Campus, 45 Royal Avenue, Sandringham. 9.00 a.m. – Wednesday, 15 November
Registration: https://www.firbank.vic.edu.au/registration-sandringham-open-morning/
SMFC Firbank Information Session
Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park. 5.30p.m. – Thursday, 16 November
Registration: https://www.trybooking.com/svyc
South Melbourne FC is excited to announce the signing of goal keepers Cassandra Zaffina and Molly-May Ramsay for the 2017 NPL Victoria Season.
Zaffina has an amazing story in football where her determination and tenacity has defined her character both on and off the pitch. She has played at a number of clubs in Melbourne as well as a stint with Alstonville in the Northern NSW Women’s Premier League. At the start of last season she transitioned from Caulfield United Cobras to the newly formed Alamein FC for the inaugural National Premier League season. Throughout 2016 she played 21 matches for the Under 18s and 3 matches with the Senior team.
Speaking with smfc.com.au, Zaffina details her transfer saying “South Melbourne has a reputation for it’s history, the girls in the squad and Soc as coach. It is an exciting opportunity for me to be joining such a big club. Working with Lou Petrou to develop as a goalkeeper has been an amazing experience to get me to the position I am now in. I also have a lot of respect for Soc as a coach. He recognises I am still developing my experience as a top level keeper yet has put his trust and faith in my ability. 2017 is going to be an exciting year for the South Melbourne squad and Soc is building a line-up which can go all the way to the Grand Final”.
Joining Zaffina wearing the gloves this season is Molly-May Ramsay who joins the squad from Murray United. Ramsay has played for a number of clubs around Albury Wodonga in her youth including winning the U15 Girls FFA National Girls Championship with the NSW Country team. As a sign of her skill and capability, Ramsay made the switch from girls to boys football in 2016 joining NPL2 regional team Murray United where she was named Captain of the clubs Under 15s boys team. It was a high intensity season for Ramsay where she played 26 rounds for the U15 boys, and a further 10 fixtures for the U16 boys who finished the season in 6th place.
Ramsay shared her thoughts on the move to South saying “it’s fantastic to be given an opportunity at such a big name club like South Melbourne. I am looking forward to playing in the Women’s NPL having made the move from Wodonga. Training with Cassandra and the squad, especially the men’s teams, is amazing and I am looking forward to really improving my game.”
Women’s Football Director Gabrielle Giuliano is impressed with both Zaffina and Ramsay. “Cassandra’s story is an interesting one and her commitment in training and performance on the pitch is what makes her an excellent fit for our squad. Additionally when I look at Molly-may, I see such a young talent and a name we are going to hear a lot about in the coming years. Coming to South will be an exciting transition for her and we’ll be supporting her the whole way. I am looking forward to watching both girls develop throughout the year and their contributions to the South community in 2017.” she said.
South Melbourne FC is excited to announce the signing of Jamie Pollock who returns to Lakeside Stadium for the 2017 NPL Victoria Season.
Pollock grew up in Georgia, USA first experienced football at Harrison High School also playing youth football at Tophat 08 Gold and as part of the Georgia State Olympic Development Program. Accolades followed the midfielder through her youth football being a part of and Captaining teams to the Georgia State Championship and the Olympic Development Program National Championship.
Her success continued at the University of Georgia where she started every game she played over the course of three years, scoring 8 goals and 12 assists. As her time with the Georgia Bulldogs came to a close, she was offered a contract with Atlanta Beat in the Women’s Professional Soccer League, however the league would fold before she graced the pitch. In 2013, Pollock joined the Florida Atlantic Owls as a coach, before moving north to join the Boston Breakers setup in the National Women’s Soccer League
A year later and Pollock was back in her native Georgia, this time playing for the Atlanta Silverbacks. The Silverbacks would be her last US-based team as she made the long journey down under to play in Victoria. South Melbourne Senior Coach Socrates Nicolaidis has extensive experience in the USA having coached at club and college level for some fifteen years. His network enabled him to identify Pollock to join his squad at Lakeside. He was interviewed about the signing by The Corner Flag and said “Jamie played for a friend of mine James Galanis and he selected her for the Atlanta Beat in 2012, giving her a glowing report. She’s a high pedigree player. She raises the standard at training, brought a professionalism to training and she’s like a new zest of life. She’s a special player and she scores special goals”.
Pollock’s debut for South Melbourne was in June 2015 against the Senior NTC, followed by her Lakeside debut a week later against Casey Comets. A successful 2015 campaign for South Melbourne finish fourth and qualify for the finals. Pollock would play a crucial role. In week two of the finals she scored a 90th-minute goal to down Heidelberg in a thrilling match at Lakeside. The following week she would score a brace at Kingston Health to help eliminate Ashburton United and book a place in the Grand Final. Pollock played a critical role throughout the final and was front and centre as South Melbourne Captain Alex Cheal raised the club’s Grand Final trophy.
Dave Edmondson, the coach at Melbourne Victory came knocking and Pollock was soon pulling on a W-League jersey. She would make 10 appears for the club through the summer season before joining FC Bulleen Lions for the inaugural NPLW season. Pollock represented the Lions on 23 occasions scoring four goals.
With South Melbourne joining the NPLW for 2017, the opportunity existed for Pollock to return to the club she first called home when coming to Australia. It will be a friendly return with familiar faces in the dressing room and Socrates Nicolaidis still Senior Coach. Reflecting on a half season in 2015 in which she scored 13 goals, Pollock was side-by-side with the likes of Alex Cheal, Natalie Martineau, Caitlin Grieser and Tiffany Eliadis. Jamie Pollock will once again join these names in the Lakeside Stadium dressing room as South Melbourne prepares for its first foray in the NPLW.
Speaking to smfc.com.au, Pollock is excited to once again pull on the blue and white South jersey saying “it is an amazing feeling to return to South Melbourne, to Lakeside Stadium and to so many familiar faces and friends. The history, culture and atmosphere at our Club is unique and it is a wonderful opportunity to be a part of it once again. It was only a year ago when I last played for South that we raised the Grand Final trophy and I am really looking forward to doing that again in 2017″.
Women’s Football Director Gabrielle Guiliano jumped at the chance to welcome Pollock back to South Melbourne. “Our playing group, as well as the broader club has always been a family environment. It’s always hard to lose players but we encourage our girls to develop and strive to be better. The opportunity for Jamie to play in the W-League on the national stage here in Australia was fantastic for her. Now in 2017 it’s great to have her back at South Melbourne. You only need to read her playing history to recognise the depth of experience she has to offer. As well as being a star in the midfield, her leadership both on and off the pitch plays a critical role at the club, especially as we develop girls through our youth program” she said.
We wish Jamie all the best for the 2017 season.
A South Melbourne FC Under 19 team has traveled to Florida, USA as part of an 18 day tour during the festive season. The squad prepared by South Melbourne Senior Coach Socrates Nicolaidis in partnership with MatchFit Australia, comprises representatives from our Senior and Youth teams together with other quality youth players from around Melbourne.
The team would participate in two tournaments being the 20th Annual Orange Classic Girls Tournament and the Disney Girls Soccer Showcase, played at the ESPN Wide World or Sports Complex. The girls would be guaranteed a total of six matches in six days with the potential to make it through to the finals.
These tournaments provide exposure for the club but more importantly an opportunity for the girls to be a part of a professional squad for the 18 day tour and play in a tournament environment with 1500 other players and in front of over 10o US college coaches hoping to recruit new talent into their college squads.
In their first match on foreign soil, the squad made an impressive start to their campaign recording a 5-1 win over FC Tampa.
Caitlin Greiser would record the only goal of the first half shooting low and right from the penalty spot. After the break the girls had the setting sun in their eyes but you couldn’t tell by the way they played. Kathryn Vlahopoulos setup a Caitlin Greiser header to double the lead before finding the net and opening her own account for the tour. Chloe Belingham got into the scoring action with a quality move weaving between two defenders the slotting her shot past the keeper. Bryannen Gurr would make a superb run down the left wing all the way to the byline before cutting it back for Kathryn Vlahopoulos to stab it into the net for her brace and the fifth goal for South.
Catherine Forto-Oddo spoke to smfc.com.au after the match saying “the game today went well with a quick pace. We set the standard pretty high and it was great to see how the American girls played. Theirs was a very different style of play, they like to play the long balls. They were physical and very different to what we were used to but I enjoyed it. The quick passing worked for us today, which is our normal standard of play. Rachel Jarvis did well and also Kathryn Vlahopoulos.”
Also talking to smfc.com.au after the match, Cleo Taliadoros shared her thoughts on the game saying “We went into the game not really knowing what to expect as we’ve never played an American team before. We went in hard, didn’t expect too much and I think we did pretty well.”
“We did a lot of combination plays with great passing instead of just kicking the ball up the field like our opposition did. Our passing really helped us transition the ball from the back line all the way to the forwards and we scored some goals off this passing play. Irene Paracki played so well, moving easily around players in the midfield and really setting us up for goals. Caitlin Greiser played well scoring goals up front. Chloe Belingham was great, so was Kathryn Vlahopoulos and everyone in the defence. Clearly a team effort all round. I thought the opposition had some good players. They were physical and had good technique. They made us work hard and tired us out. I thought they were really good and they play a very different style to us, which was effective at times giving them a goal” she said.
Assistant coach Jorge Rios provided a summary of the match preparation and some analysis saying “the girls have prepared well for the match considering the travel time from Melbourne to Miami and recovery from the jet lag. We had two sessions early in the week focusing on first touch, player combinations and player movement centrally through the midfield area.”
“Our 4-2-2-2 box midfield structure with two wide forwards had the American team confused. We outnumbered our opponents in the middle of the pitch thus frustrating both their coach and players who played a standard 4-4-2 flat midfield. Interestingly the Tampa goal keeper consistently played the long ball punting it when playing out from the back. Our girls constantly played their way out from the back and displayed great attacking intent” he said.
It was an early start for the girls on match day two with an 8am kick-off time. The Caboto Strikers from Canada were highly rated and fast on the pitch, but our girls remained focused on their own game and secured a 4-1 win positioning themselves in outright first place.
Jade Feakes would opening the scoring when she chipped the keeper from the edge of the area placing the ball neatly into the top left corner of the net. The next to score would be Caitlin Greiser who picked up where she left off yesterday. Greiser took a pass from winger Samantha Black, took one touch and then fired across the goal to beat the rushing keeper. After the break, Samantha Black turned from play-maker to goal scorer. Black latched on to a quality ball from the midfield and went one-on-one with the keeper, sliding the ball into the bottom left corner of the net. The final South goal was again from Greiser. Irene Paracki set up the play crafting a through ball to the feet of Greiser who rounded the defender and then similar to Black, beat the keeper one-on-one and hit the ball into the bottom left corner of the net. It was a quality performance by the team.
Speaking to smfc.com.au after the match, Irene Paracki shared her thoughts on the match saying “it was really good out there today but we started off slowly and we weren’t getting our passes together. After a while, we started to get our rhythm, our quick passing, switching play and some great goal chances. Overall, the strongest aspect of our game today was our passing and through balls which directly lead to the goals”.
“Jade Feakes was an absolute stand-out today, she scored our first goal and then she was consistent throughout the game. Our midfield gelled well today, we changed up our formation a few times and that worked well. The Canadian team were very fast and quite physical off the ball, blocking and shielding. We were good at intercepting passes and shut them down pretty well. We learnt their weaknesses quickly and played to those. It was a great game out there today” she said.
Also talking to smfc.com.au after the match, Bryannen Gurr reflected on the win saying ‘I think we played pretty well. We started off a bit slow and conceded a goal which was a bit disappointing. We got back into the game, get even and were good enough to put another three into the back of the net which was good for us. As we got more into the game and adjusted to the conditions, as it was a bit wet, our passing game and combination plays were impressive. In the midfield Irene Paracki had great touches and was always able to find an outlet wide or moving forward. Caitlin Greiser scored a couple of goals and Jade Feakes was solid down the back. D’arne Boato was very strong too, reading the play. Rachel Jarvis was strong on the ball as usual. Everyone played well.”
“The Canadians were pretty good, probably stronger than our opposition yesterday. We played Caboto Strikers who are ranked maybe 4th in Canada so that’s pretty impressive. We did well to win 4-1 so hopefully we can continue that theme and keep winning” she said.
With the early morning start, the girls were done and dusted by around 10:30. The days ‘recovery’ started off with karaoke inside the team bus, the singing and dancing aptly lead by D’arne Boato, Cleo Taliadoros and Alexia Karatzikos. The cool-down session comprised beach volleyball on on Fort Lauderdale Beach. It was here at the beach were the were witness to the marching band of Michigan University who were preparing for the upcoming Orange Bowl NFL match. Bryannen Gurr, D’arne Boato, Alexia Karatzikos and Rachel Jarvis quickly found themselves talking to reporter Thomas Eschen of Fox 66 Michigan. A few hours later, they had made their US TV debut being introduced as a ‘girls travel soccer team from Orstralia’.
A relaxing afternoon the day prior gave some respite to the girls heading into their third match in as many days in Miami. Matchday three would be the final hit-out in the Orange Classic Tournament prior to moving to Orlando for the big one, the Disney Girls Soccer Showcase. The girls were happy with the 2-0 win to round out the tournament and also positive in securing their first clean sheet.
Pinellas County bought their A game for the South fixture. They were physical, aggressive and pressed high to put the pressure on. The defence today was rock solid with great passing and playing out from the back. As the first half went on, the girls started to find their rhythm. The first goal came which served well to settle the team. A corner kick found its way to defender Victoria Argyropoulos who had a low strike at goal. The ball rolled to the feet of Irene Paracki who turned and placed it past the keeper. South were in business and went into the half time break with a one nil advantage.
Pinellas continued to attack in the second half however the strong passing and possession of our girls could be seen to frustrate them. South’s second goal came yet again from the corner, this one maybe not quite as pretty. The corner kick came into the area and there were a lot of players in the box. Everyone was trying to get boot to ball to either score or clear it. Jade Feakes got the last touch as the ball went over the line where the keeper grabbed it and bought it back into the field of play. The referee took some time before awarding South the goal. It was an encouraging result in the toughest match of the tour thus far.
Talking to smfc.com.au goal scorer Jade Feakes reflected on the game saying “I thought we reacted well to them pressing us on the ball. Our performance today is going to set us up well for the next tournament. As Coach Soc said, it’s going to be a lot more physical and the girls are going to be tougher. We are going to need to learn how to get the ball back quickly and contest against girls who have been training for college for years.”
“It took us until the latter stages of the first half to start playing our passes smarter and a bit quicker. The whole team played well today, I think everyone contributed strongly today in a tough match. Alexia Karatzikos in goal did really well, best game I’ve seen her play. Her distribution was great in getting the ball out wide allowing us to easily play out from the back. I think Pinellas County lifted today because of who they were playing. They knew a little about us as they had watched us play our two previous games. I felt this also made us lift our game and how we responded to how physical they were.”
Also talking to smfc.com.au was goal keeper Alexia Karatzikos detailing her thoughts on the encounter saying “It think it was a well fought game today, probably the hardest games we’ve had out of the three. They really took the game to us so it wasn’t easy for us like the last two matches. They knew we were breezing through and wanted to give us some physicality. At the start it was hard for us to get into the game. It was hard to get our mojo, get it together and concentrate. There was a drink break, we talked and started getting it together, passes were well thought out and then we got our first goal. That really settled us. There was a lot more talking out on the pitch today, especially from a goal keeping perspective we were talking more to get our defenders and rest of the players together in the right places. The last two games has been really quiet. Today was a really good game but hard fought.”
“Our midfielders played well for us today, Catherine Forte-Oddo and Rachel Jarvis especially. They had to really keep possession today and find the right opportunities to push forward to the strikers. Our defenders today were spot on. No headers were missed with good passing around the back third. For both Coco Majstorovic and I in goal, I think our distribution was good today. Coco was great, taking the touches, controlling the ball and getting it out to the defenders. We were playing out from the back, we were really relaxed, not stressed and we kept the ball right from the get go. Our opposition Pinellas County were excellent. I spoke to the team we played yesterday, Tampa Bay, and they beat them 4-0. Tampa said they were really off their game and didn’t play to their usual standard. Today they really bought their A game and gave it to us. It wasn’t easy. We thought we’d go out there, score four goals. Pinellas were very physical with us, especially when they got frustrated. They were pushing us off the ball a lot, they really wanted possession. We gave as good as we got and I was really proud of the team” she said.
“The last three days have been a wonderful experience for the girls. We had two fantastic training sessions preparing them for our first game. Not knowing what style of we were going to be up against we focused on our own performance, our own style which is a short passing game, many combination plays, rotations in the attacking third, plenty of overlaps and when we don’t have the ball the whole team pressed collectively.”
“Our first game was an excellent performance and we scored many goals. Our second game was very similar. Our third game was probably our toughest game. The opposition were very strong, very dirty, the refereeing was probably at its worst. Our players were pushed off the ball, knocked off the ball and there was no intent from the opposition to actually go to the ball, but the girls prevailed. In the second half we started to move the ball faster, our passing got better, the other team got weaker and it could have easily been five or six nil.”
“Coming now into Disney we are playing the number one ranked team in Rhode Island, they won their division last year here at Disney. This will probably be our biggest challenge for the tour.”
#1 Coco Majstorovic (Goalkeeper)
#2 Victoria Argyropoulos (Defender)
#4 Jade Feakes (Defender)
#5 Bryannen Gurr (Defender)
#7 Samantha Black (Winger)
#8 Catherine Forte-Oddo (Midfielder)
#9 Caitlin Greiser (Forward)
#10 Rachel Jarvis (Midfielder)
#11 Irene Paracki (Midfielder)
#12 Kathryn Vlahopoulos (Midfielder)
#13 Lauren Boyd (Defender)
#14 Ciara Singleton (Defender)
#15 Cleo Taliadoros (Forward)
#16 Chloe Belingham (Midfielder)
#17 D’arne Boato (Midfielder)
#18 Dakota Thyssen (Midfielder)
#19 Alexia Karatzikos (Goalkeeper)
Socrates Nicolaidis (Coach)
Jorge Leon (Assistant Coach)
South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce that it has signed experience centre forward Brittany Thomas for the 2017 NPL Victoria Season.
Brittany started her Victorian Women’s Premier League career at South Melbourne back in 2012 and five years on will make her return to Lakeside Stadium.
After her time at South, Brittany recruited by FC Bulleen Lions for a season before joining Ashburton United where she played for two years. 2016 saw the introduction of the National Premier Leagues and Thomas joined eleven of her team mates from Ashburton transitioning to the newly formed Alamein FC. Brittany was part of a potent attacking force at Alamein helping the club achieve the highest number of goals and goal difference in the inaugural NPLW season, including Brittany picking up a hat-trick against Southern United along the way.
In 2017, Thomas will again be a part of the South Melbourne squad as the club returns to the top-tier of Victorian Women’s football. Speaking to smfc.com.au, Thomas is excited about once again pulling on the blue and white jersey. “South Melbourne is a wonderful club and I am looking forward to playing a role in helping the team reach its potential in 2017”.
Women’s Football Director Gabrielle Guiliano sees Brittany playing a crucial role in 2017. “It is wonderful opportunity to have Brittany return to South Melbourne after all these years. She is a very experienced player having been at the top level of Victorian Women’s football for five consecutive years at four different clubs. Her background, maturity and experience will bring a lot to the squad both on and off the pitch. Her attacking prowess and skills in the final third will suit the attacking style of play South Melbourne is known for”.
We wish Brittany all the best for the 2017 NPL season.
A great 5-1 win on Sunday for the Women’s Reserves, together with other results going our way, means that the girls climbed into second place at the end of the season.
Hosting Eltham Redbacks at Lakeside Stadium, the girls had a positive start in the first half, establishing a 2-1 lead thanks to Cleo Taliadoros scoring both goals.
After the break, it only took five minutes before the Lakeside scoreboard was ticking over yet again, when Giulia Mazzeo fired it low to beat the keeper. The game entered a more stable period of play with neither team able to capitalise. The theme was broken when Ciara Singleton launched a rocket from outside the area. The strike went low and curled around the outstretched arm of the Eltham keeper to roll into the bottom corner of the net.
Just a few minutes later the scoreboard was ticking over again. Hannah Delorenzis stormed into the area and sent the ball flying into the right hand upright. It rebounded straight to the feet of Taliadoros, who had no problem in putting the ball in the back of the net.
Time would count down with a few more chances on goal and the score not changing. A 5-1 result at Lakeside is a great way for our Women’s Reserves team to finish the 2016 season.
Around the grounds, top-placed Melbourne University defeated second-placed South Yarra 0-1. This meant the 5-1 win by our girls was sufficient to climb into second place, equal on points with South Yarra but with an eleven-goal better goal difference.
Speaking to smfc.com.au after the match, goal scorer Delorenzis said “we started off today really shakily, a little nervous and obviously not as prepared as we would have hoped. However after we scored our first goal and settled, we were excellent and our work rate was insane.”
Reflecting on the return to Lakeside, Delorenzis added that “it’s good to be back here and at home with some great support. Christina, Cleo and Emmie played well, in fact, everyone played well today.”
The dynamic duo of Taliadoros and Alexia Karatzikos played earlier in the day in the Under 16s. Happy with a hat-trick on the pitch, Taliadoros was just as happy off the pitch. “It was really tough, with warm conditions and we only had one sub. We stuck together as a team as we wanted to pull out a win today, especially being the last game and playing at Lakeside.”
Congratulations to our girls for an excellent 2016 season.
The Under 14 Girls required a positive result at Albert Park on Sunday and they delivered in fine form. A 2-0 result over Kensington sealed top spot and with that, the girls claimed the Premiership.
The first half was a balanced affair with both teams having chances on goal but neither finding the net. The second half however was full of action.
The excitement began with a fierce tackle inside the area sending South to the penalty spot. The kick went wide, which spurred the girls to lift the intensity further. Minutes later, Ella Nickolaus pounced on a poor defensive pass across the face of goal and shot low into the bottom left corner of the net.
Ten minutes on and the referee would again blow the whistle and point to the spot. It was at the other end this time and keeper Stella Ainalis would be called into action. Stella went down to her right and parried the ball away to make a crucial save.
U14G // 54′ PENALTY SAVE Stella Ainalis with what could be the premiership winning save pic.twitter.com/yx0FgPgUFw
— South Melbourne FC (@smfc) August 28, 2016
With four minutes to play, South would seal the points thanks to a classy finish by Giulia Galatas. The final whistle sounded with the 2-0 result giving South’s girls the Premiership.
Speaking to smfc.com.au after the match, Hazel Marsh shared her thoughts on the match. “I think we played well and our passing was really good. Starting off today we were a bit rusty but once we got started we were really good. I thought Ella played well, Elena’s through-balls were amazing.”
Goalkeeper Stella Ainalis celebrated her birthday with a clean sheet and penalty save. After the match she said that “the match started to pick up throughout the game. Our second half was stronger. The transitions today were really well done. I think the girls did really well.”
“It was a bit quiet for me in the first half but towards the second half I got a bit more involved. That was good. My highlight for the second half was the penalty I saved which was pretty good…(but) also Giulia scored a left foot goal, which I think is pretty good as that’s tough to do. Ella’s goal was also great. Everyone was amazing.”
Speaking about her penalty save, Stella shared her experience saying “it was a bit nerve racking at the start, but I made the save and I was really happy.”
Reflecting on a positive season that yielded sixteen wins, two draws and one loss, coach Mark Knauer had the following to say: “The girls have had an absolutely awesome year. I think that is premised by their technical development over the course of the season and their ability to play combination football. If I think about where they were back at the start of the season compared to where they are now, it’s like two different teams.”
The squad playing in the Under 13/14 competition is very young and is often out-sized on the pitch. “Without the technical skills, we get physically pushed off the ball probably nine times out of ten. But because of the crisp ball movement, their first touch and their ability to get their eyes up and have a look at what is around them, it enables them to play the ball around so much better,” Knauer added.
“I think one of the greatest compliments for me this season came when we were at the Kanga Cup in Canberra. One of the parents from a team we played off the park came up and said that’s the best football he had seen an Under 14s girls team play. He said compliments to SMFC and Victorian football because in New South Wales and the ACT it’s just a physical game.”
The girls will now enter the finals series, where they are expected to play Kensington, who finished 4th, for a place in the Grand Final.
Our SMFC Under 14s girls travelled to Caroline Springs on the weekend to take on Spring Hills in a critical penultimate season fixture.
The girls hold top position on the ladder, two points clear of Pascoe Vale, who they have twice drawn with 2-2 this season. The team’s only loss was the opening round of the season and since then they have gone a total of 15 matches undefeated. It was a run they were hoping to continue against Spring Hills. They defeated the same opposition 5-3 at home back in June, however the girls-in-grey were sitting in 3rd place and playing away on a synthetic pitch meant that the match would be a challenge.
It was a physical encounter and the girls took a while to adjust to the pitch and the speed in the wet. Smooth passing was the aim of the game and in the first half the majority of play was in the midfield with neither team finding the advantage.
A chat from coach Mark Knauer at half-time found the girls playing with a little more structure in the second half, together with some more aggressive and attacking formations.
It took just two minutes before the scoreboard came into action for the first time. The first shot was on target but the Spring Hills keeper parried it away. It wasn’t enough however as Ella Nickolaus pounced and opened the scoring.
Ten minutes later the girls’ efforts would be rewarded yet again. A great run down the left lead to the ball being crossed in well. Elena Stefanos was on hand to fire the ball into the net and double the lead.
Goal scorer Elena Stefanos spoke to smfc.com.au after the match to share her thoughts. “We put up a good fight. It was tough but we got there in the end. We had some good through-balls and we have some things to work on to score some more goals. Kiara played really well for us and some of the older players were good too.”
A terrific result for the girls, with the 0-2 win keeping them firmly on the top of the ladder. They are still two points clear of Pascoe Vale and hold a +10 goal different over second place.
Both team will go in favourites in the final round of fixtures. Pascoe Vale take on fifth-placed Bundoora, whilst our girls host the fourth-placed Kensington at home next Sunday morning.
South Melbourne FC’s Senior Women’s team maintains its dominant position at the top of the State League One (NW) ladder and has the opportunity to claim the Championship this weekend.
Whilst the squad attends tonight’s Club Trivia Night at Albert Park, there is a match on at BT Connor Reserve that could be very important for the girls. An upset win by Preston Lions over South Yarra will give South the Championship without the need to kick a football in anger.
The team isn’t relying on other results however, with the focus firmly on Sunday’s away fixture at Princes Park against Melbourne University. South have lost just two league matches all year and one of them was when Melbourne Uni triumphed 0-2 at Lakeside Stadium back in early June. Sunday provides an opportunity to avenge that loss and claim the title at the same time.
Whilst one win from its last two matches will secure the title, two draws will also suffice. Going into these matches as favourites, this is no time for our women to rest easy as they face the only two teams – Melbourne Uni and Eltham Redbacks – that have defeated them in the league in 2016.
Melbourne University were the primary challenger for the title but they stumbled in the last two weeks, with a surprise loss to Bundoora United and then a 2-2 draw with Lara United last week. These results put them out of contention but they remain very tough opposition.
Our squad had the benefit of a week off last weekend and arguably will be the strongest it has been all year.
Captain Alex Cheal spoke to smfc.com.au about the squad and the preparation going into this Sunday’s fixture. “I think the week off could have been good timing for us. At this late stage in the season, we’re starting to suffer from niggling injuries and sicknesses etc. The break has given us a good chance to recuperate and get our minds and bodies focused on what is to come. We now have our best team on the field this weekend and we have a chance to go in with fresh legs.”
Caitlin Greiser was taken to hospital in the last fixture following a head clash. This saw goalkeeper Hailey Drain give up the gloves and turn into a makeshift outfield player. There is little chance of Drain catching Greiser for the Golden Boot in 2016 but that didn’t stop her curling an effort into the net to get herself on the scoresheet.
Cheal made it clear that a repeat goal-scoring performance is unlikely this week as the gloves will be back on. “Hailey was great last week but back in goals as we have our strength back on the field! We have a full team in this weekend. Caitlin has been cleared (of injury) and those other players suffering injuries in the last game have been able to get themselves fit for the weekend. It couldn’t be a better time for us really. There’s no excuses this weekend.”
The Women’s teams take on Melbourne University at Princes Park on Sunday afternoon. The reserves kick off at 1pm and the Seniors kick off at 3pm.