Senior Women’s Div.1 – Rd.5 on Sat. 23rd May 2015
SW1 Weekly Round Up
The Raceview ladies continued their good form and collected 6 points in less than a week, with a mid-week victory 2-0 at home against Logan Uniting and then followed this up with a solid 4-1 win against Logan Metro. After losses to the two W’s – Westminster & West End, Raceview have collected the maximum 12 points from their past 4 games.
Unfortunately for the ladies from Logan Uniting, another narrow loss at home to North Pine Baptist 2-3, on top of their narrow loss to Raceview midweek, sees them 9 points out of the top four and finals contention.
Rosewood accounted for close town rivals Brisbane Valley 3-0 at home and has them back in the premiership hunt after rebounding from consecutive losses in the previous two weeks.
An understrength Salisbury Baptist team were no match for a rampaging Westminster Warriors team and went down 0-7.
The final game saw West End Partisans and Blackstone United, arch-rivals in Division 2 last season, play out a pulsating match with the home team over-coming the Blackstone jinx and come out on top 2-1 with a late winner. (Refer to Match of the Day below.)
After 6 completed games, one point separates 6 teams in a very tight contest for the premiership and finals football at the end of the season. Westminster Warriors and West End are both on 13 points, only separated by goal-difference, with the chasing pack of North Pine Baptist, Blackstone United, Raceview and Rosewood, only one point adrift from the top.
This weekend’s games sees a number of match-ups of great significance prior to a weekend off for club football with the State Titles reverting to Zone teams battling it out over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.
SW1 - Match of the Day
West End 2 v Blackstone United 1 (H/T: 1-0)
Referee: Michael Ianna & Asst Ref: Jeff Torrens
Coach/Manager: George Cabrera & Grace O’Connell (West End)
& Andrew Haywood / David Harper (Blackstone United)
Two very competitive teams, having got to know each other quite well in SW Div 2 last season, found themselves in the top two positions on the ladder after 5 games and matched up against each other for this encounter. Blackstone United have been West End’s nemesis in the past year, having beaten West End both home and away games in 2014, then in a tense extra-time finish in the major semi-final before eclipsing them again, 3-1, in last season Div.2 Grand Final!!!
Both teams have made an impressive start to the season and with a home ground advantage, some new faces coming into the West End line-up, and the loss of Blackstone’s exciting goal-scorer Nikki Hubbard, may have just swayed the balance West End’s way before the start of the game.
The first few minutes were relatively quiet with both teams sorting out their offensive patterns but relying on excellent defensive structure to limit opportunities to long range shots. Monica Di Pasquale (West End) hit a long-range shot from distance in the 3rd minute, as did Teegan Gordon (Blackstone United) in the 5th minute but neither troubled the goal-keepers of either team.
In the 10th minute, Blackstone’s full-back, Cara Tucker, floated a great diagonal long ball across the face of goal but unfortunately it just eluded the touches of the advancing strikers and a sigh of relief for the West End g/k, Jamie Lee Cosgrove.
From the ensuing goal-kick, the West End team played the ball up the park with some excellent team work as the commanding central midfielder, Monica Di Pasquale, sprayed the ball wide to the effervescent and diminuative, Rani Lustosa. After jinking past two defenders, Lustosa hit a wonderful cross behind the defenders to Aleisha Dunn hanging back from the defensive line near the penalty spot. A first time effort brings out a reflex save from Blakstone’s g/k, Jessica Burrows, but the rebound sits kindly for Dunn and she bundles the ball home for West End to open the account and make it 1-0 after 11 minutes.
For the next 20 minutes, Blackstone United pick up their intensity and completely dominate proceedings with West End’s dogged determination and organised defence keeping their opponents out. The young versatile Georgia Buchanan displays some wonderful skills on either left or right wing and along with the strong running and shooting power of Bianca Hubbard and Teegan Gordon, Blackstone’s assault is relentless. West End’s defensive line of Jamie Lee Cosgrove in goals, Sarah Smith, Karen Snowling, Victoria Gadd and Rachel De Leon, are constantly under threat but remain solid as a unit and keep out raid after raid.
After repelling the sustained barrage, the West End girls begin to take charge from the 30th minute. It’s the midfield duo of Monica Di Pasquale and Rani Lustosa who take charge of a tiring Blackstone midfield and begin to create opportunities for the home team. An audacious 40 metre shot from Di Pasquale is defused by g/k Jessica Burrows. The ever dangerous Rani Lustosa waltzes past a number of Blackstone defenders on a few occasions and shoots, usually with a toe poke (a sign of South American influence) agonisingly wide of the goals or bringing out a save from the g/k.
In the 45th minute Blackstone’s ever-reliable and speedy defender, Nicola Harwood, unleashes a ferocious long-range shot at goal but the ball flies agonisingly beside the post to finish off the proceeding for the first half.
As expected, Blackstone United were spurred on by their coaches’ half-time directions and come out buzzing for the opening 10 minutes of the 2nd half as they try to peg back West End’s 1-0 lead. Cara Tucker tries her luck from long range again, whilst Georgia Buchanan continues to dominate the flanks time after time, but seems to shoot a little too hastily with plenty of time and space ahead of her. Cassandra Mohr floats a couple of excellent corners across the face of goal but eluding the Blackstone strikers and is safely whipped away by the desperate defence of West End.
Inevitably, Blackstone United’s pressure would finally reap results and it did so in the 59th minute. An exquisite free-kick by Georgia Buchanan deep on the left flank is met by a well-timed run by Cassandra Mohr and met with a volley from close range to make it 1-1 and game on again!
In the 63rd minute a wonderful pass by West End’s Eva James releases Elena Peirano at goal but the raid is thwarted by Blackstone’s g/k, Jessica Burrows, as she reads the play well and comes out speedily and grabs the ball in the nick of time.
In the 65th minutes a tenacious Teegan Gordon fights off three different challenges in “the battle of the midfield” and releases Bianca Hubbard, who shoots powerfully at goal but is denied by Jamie Lee Cosgrove.
In the following few minutes, Georgia Buchanan continues to dominate the flanks, but, the crosses and shots at goal are repelled time and time again.
After sustaining the prolonged pressure from Blackstone United, West End begin to exert themselves, again through the mercurial midfield play of Rani Lustosa on the back of the wonderful defensive team effort. Long range efforts by Lustosa are defused by g/k Burrows, but the tide was turning. With Lustosa masterminding another attacking raid, the ball fell to Monica Di Pasquale on the right edge of the penalty box. She went left across the edge of the box past two defenders and had the left foot shot blocked by the tight defence. A fortunate rebound came back to Di Pasquale and the resulting kick lobbed over the defenders and the g/k and somehow found the top left hand corner of the net. The West End girls were ecstatic in leading again 2-1 in the 80th minute which left the away team heart-broken.
In the 81st minute, West End’s Anita Phillips wonderful pass released Aleisha Dunn, who shot wide with a determined challenge coming in from Nicole Harwood.
In the 85th minute, Blackstone’s last chance falls to Teegan Gordon, but her 25 metre free-kick sails just wide again.
It was a fantastic game by two wonderful, competitive teams, with both built on strong defensive patterns and creativity and skill in midfield and in attack. Actually, a draw would have been a fairer result, yet sport, which in many ways mirrors life, is not always fair either. But the lessons learnt from the past can serve us better in the future, especially if we don’t achieve our goals leaving us a wonderful challenge in the future. So what did West End learn from being beaten four times in a row last season, by a whisker at times, by their arch nemesis Blackstone United? Only they will know!!!
It may come down to a wonderful quote accredited to a champion Hungarian fencer, who won gold medals at five different Olympic Games. His success came down to…. “I’d rather a bucket of sweat at training, than to lose by a hair’s breadth in a competition!”
Senior Men’s Div.1 – Rd.5 on Sat. 23rd May 2015
SM1 Weekly Round Up
There were many interesting match-ups for this round with some of the teams consolidating their positions, whereas others are trying to hang on and get a few wins under their belt.
Sunnybank Saints recorded an excellent 3-1 win away to Mansfield Eagles.
St Paul’s found the going tough away to Logan Metro and snuck home with a nervous 2-1 victory. It just shows the highly competitive and close nature of this year’s Div.1 competition when 1st plays 9th and the game is as tight as this one.
Whitehill hosted the new kids on the block, Latin Golden Boys, and in a goal fest went down 3-10.
Westminster Warriors went on the road up north to North Pine Baptist and came away with an excellent 4-1 victory against strong opposition.
Similarly, a strong 4-1 win was recorded by the Brisbane Athletic team over Blackstone United, and they seem to have shaken off their early season blues and are in a rich vein of form.
After 6 rounds of football in SW1, St Paul’s remain on top with 18 points, closely followed by Westminster Warriors on 15 points. Brisbane Athletic are seemingly set to pounce on 12 points with the new look Sunnybank “Gumtree” Saints making up the four on 10 points. Blackstone United and North Pine Baptist are just out of the four on 9 points apiece with the big improvers in the last couple of weeks, Latin Golden Boys, in 7th position.
As per the ladies in SW1, next week’s games are crucial for many teams before the Queen’s Birthday long weekend break, where the Zone teams battle it out at the QCSA State Titles and the Qld. Open Men’s team and the Qld. U.23 Men’s team are selected.
