Senior Women return to winning form
South Melbourne FC’s senior women returned to winning form with a significant victory over FC Bulleen Lions on Monday evening.
A sizeable crowd ventured to the Veneto Club in what was a replay of the NPLW Victoria 2018 Grand Final. Looking to reverse the result not just of that fixture but also the previous weekend’s loss to Calder United, the girls went into the match with a renewed focus on team structure.
Coach Mick Gallo made a number of changes to the squad including Natalie Martineau being an omission due to injury and new club signing Adriana Jones making her debut.
The match itself was very evenly poised between the squads with both teams having opportunities to score. Goalkeeper and Player of the Week Erin Hudson came up with some amazing saves to prevent Bulleen from going ahead. It took until the last fifteen minutes for the game to really open up. As both teams moved more fluidly on the counter attack, space opened up and South was the one to capaitalise.
Breaking through the midfield, Sofia Sakalis slid the ball through the back four to allow Kelsey Minton to make a run down the right flank and deep into the area. Drawing the two defenders, she cut the ball back to Sarah Richardson, who with a sly side-foot centred the ball back to Sakalis. Finishing what she started, Sofia’s left foot buried the ball into the back of the net to give South a 1-0 lead in the 82nd minute.
That score would remain as South recorded a second win of the season, positioning themselves in third place on the NPLW ladder.
The team travels to the Knox Regional Football Centre on Sunday to face the Senior NTC. This fixture marks the start of a very busy seven days for the team, which will feature three matches. After the Senior NTC they are back at Knox on Wednesday night to play Alamein and then travel to Stead Park next Saturday to take on Geelong Galaxy United.
FINAL SCORE: BULLEEN LIONS 0-1 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-0)
Goal:
0-1: Sofia Sakalis (82′)
Bulleen Lions:
1. E Shields (GK), 2. T Sernio (9. L Privitelli 74′), 6. C Friend, 7. C Ferreyra Bas (16. K Zafiridis 86′), 8. A Natoli, 11. M Camilleri, 14. K Hall, 17. F Iermano, 18. S Cain, 20. K Morrison, 22. E Dolzan
Unused Substitutes: 12. L Iaconis, 13. H Richardson, 24. K Fotopoulos
Yellow Cards: Nil
South Melbourne:
1. Erin Hudson (GK), 5. Aimee Medwin, 6. Cindy Lay (2. Leah Scroggie 89′), 7. Chelsea Blisset, 8. Sofia Sakalis, 9. Kelsey Minton (4. Emily Rayment 95′), 10. Adriana Jones (38. Giulia Mazzeo 69′), 11. Jamie Pollock, 17. Alex Gummer, 30. Leia Varley, 24. Skye Jensen (3. Sarah Richardson 59′)
Unused Substitutes: 18. Kelsey Quinn.
Yellow Cards: Nil