Comets' Lisa Cloke tackles South Melbourne's Lucrece Laverdure. Image courtesy: John Punshon
By Yariv Field
South Melbourne and the Casey Comets have played out a goalless draw in yesterday's Round 14 Women's Premier League clash at McIvor Reserve.
Both sides played well in an end-to-end match, but neither team created many genuine opportunities to trouble the scoreboard, in what were, for the most part, perfect conditions for football.
South Melbourne gets the match off to a positive start and test Casey keeper Emma Bracken early on but Bracken is up to the challenge and juggles the save. Shortly after, Casey moved the ball downfield and Alexandra Gummer had a shot on goal from around 15 meters out.
Instead of taking a touch to control the approaching ball before striking, she struck it first time and was unable to control the shot causing it to spin off-target, left of the goals for a keeper’s kick.
Casey made another nice attacking move with Lisa Cloke supplying a good ball to Nicola Prins, but Prins was marginally off-side and the play came to an end. Had Prins stayed on side she would have had an unmarked strike on goal.
Casey attacked again but was unable to capitalise, and the South Melbourne defence cleared the ball away. South Melbourne’s Laura Spiranovic earned her side a corner, but the cross didn’t test Casey, and the ball went out of the box as quickly as it came in.
Midway through the first half the match looked fairly evenly, in what was mostly an end-to-end contest with both sides playing well, creating some opportunities but unable to finish it off with a goal.
South Melbourne earned another corner but again Bracken made the save. Shortly after, Casey moved the ball forward into the box and South Melbourne’s keeper, Sarah McKeon collided with an on-coming Casey forward. McKeon was injured in the process and was forced to the ground in the box. The ref stopped the play to allow McKeon time to recover and get back on her feet.
South Melbourne’s Genia Avram and Casey’s Alexandra Gummer were both playing very well for their respective sides.
South Melbourne earned itself a couple of corners in quick succession, but in both instances, Casey dealt with the incoming corners swiftly to quickly put an end to any attacking aspirations South Melbourne had.
Gummer then went for a run down the left hand side of the pitch, putting the cross into the box but McKeon collected it comfortably.
On another attacking move by Casey, Cloke gathered the ball in the penalty area had a shot on goal, but it was off-target, and the ball sailed over the keepers head. In the dying minutes of the first half, South Melbourne won a corner, but it was again wasted, and Casey went on a quick counter-attack. Unfortunately for South, nothing comes of it, and the ref blew the whistle signalling half-time with neither side able to register a goal.
With no wind to speak of and the sun shining most of the time, it was near perfect conditions for playing football. South Melbourne’s 14-year-old Tiffany Eliadis was playing well on the right hand side, showing the older girls that she has what it takes to match it with the best of them.
A promising future surely awaits this young gun.
The second half began in much the same fashion as the first was played out – both sides attacking but neither able to capitalise.
Shortly into the second half both coaches make substitutions in the hope that fresh legs could change their side’s fortune.
Casey’s Nicola Prins dribbled down the right hand side of the pitch but the South Melbourne defence got back in time to win the ball back before any damage was done.
Soon after, Bracken was nearly made to pay for kicking the ball straight to a South Melbourne player from a kick-in. After receiving the ball 15 meters out from goal, South Melbourne took it into the box and passed it to Laura Spiranovic, however, she was judged to be off-side and South Melbourne wasted a golden opportunity.
Casey’s Talia Silivestros was doing well since coming on, propelling Casey into attack. Casey earnt itself a free-kick 30 meters out from goal, South Melbourne’s defenders were unable to clear it, however, the Casey strikers were also unable to latch onto it and the ball floated out of play.
Casey’s Alexandra Gummer was continuing to control the game, having a very good afternoon. On a subsequent move forward, Casey’s Prins played a nice pass through to Silivestros who shoots from 12 meters out, but the shot went wide and it remained goalless.
South Melbourne then won a free kick 15 meters out from goal directly in front, and Niki Cook stepped up to take it. Cook was unable to control the shot and it sailed harmlessly over the keepers head.
Casey won a corner in the dying minutes of the match, but South Melbourne got it out pretty easily.
The second half has been similar to the first, with both sides attacking, but in the end neither team was able to put the finishing touches on their attacking moves and the game ended in a goalless draw.
Next week South Melbourne goes on the road to take on bottom placed Altona City, while Casey take on second-placed Heidelberg United in another away fixture.
South Melbourne: Natalie Brajanovski, Lucrece Laverdure, Christine Duffy (Niki Cook – 54’), Sophie Findlay, Tiffany Eliadis, Laura Spiranovic, Sarah McKeon, Amelia Spiranovic, Penny Bakopoulos (Mel Aloisio – 54’), Shelley Moskowitz, Genia Avram
Unused Subs: Jade Barnden, Esther La Greca, Marcela Marques
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Casey Comets: Emma Bracken, Jennifer Black, Rebecca Sherry (Talia Silivestros – 56’), Alexandra Gummer, Nicola Prins, Lisa Cloke, Laura Croft, Melissa Atherton, Shaunna Murray, Lorna Gover, Vanessa Hellar
Unused Subs: Medina Asanovski, Lana Bonnet, Laura Haws, Danielle Lawrence
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Last updated: Monday July 26, 2010 3:32PM
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