FFA National Junior Championships - Girls U-13 Day 1

A full match-by-match account of Day 1 of the 2011 FFA National Junior Championships for Girls U-13

POOL A

Pos

Team

P

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

PTS

1

NSW Country

2

2

0

0

8

1

+7

6

2

Queensland

1

1

0

0

4

1

+3

3

3

Western Australia

2

1

0

1

2

4

-2

3

4

Tasmania

2

0

0

2

2

6

-4

0

5

Victoria Country

1

0

0

1

1

5

-4

0

POOL B: Game 1: Western Australia 2 (Sarah Kenny 15-, Shauni Reid 38-) Tasmania 1 (Maggie Cuthbertson 26-) Western Australia took the honours in the first match of the FFA National Junior Championships on a foggy morning at Hawker Football Centre in Canberra. The mist gave the early morning match a mystical feel as both sides played out an absorbing clash. Western Australia broke the deadlock midway through the first half when Sarah Kenny created some space I the penalty area before driving a fierce low shot past Margot Johnston in the Tasmanian goal. With Rhianna Lulitanond providing some strong running on the left flank for Tasmania there was always the chance that they could get back into the encounter though and that proved to be the case during the second half. A swift counter-attack saw the ball fall to Maggie Cuthbertson on the edge of the penalty box and she drilled home a superb equaliser. Western Australia pushed for a winner and it duly arrived close to the end of the contest. Johnston did remarkably well to push away a Shauni Reid shot and to punch the follow-up clear, only for the ball to drop back to Reid who smashed the winner into the net from twelve metres.

POOL A: Game 2: Northern NSW 2 (Claire Wheeler 28-, Sophie O-Brien 31-) Victoria Metro 1 (Eleni Fakos 25-) Northern NSW came from behind to defeat Victoria Metro in the opening match of Pool A as the sun burst through the early morning mist to warm the vociferous crowd supporting these two teams in an engaging match. Victoria Metro had had the better of the game for most of the opening twenty minutes but had to wait until the second stanza to take the lead when lively striker Eleni Fakos tried her luck from distance, foxing the Northern NSW ‘keeper who was left stranded as the ball flashed into the corner of the net. To their credit Northern NSW refused to be intimidated by this setback and continued to play football on the floor, moving the ball around and creating space for their wide players to utilise. It was from a cross out on the right flank that the NSW team finally levelled. As the ball swung into the area centre-forward Claire Wheeler volleyed neatly in at the near post. With both teams searching for a winner it was Northern NSW who got the break of fortune required when Sophie O-Brien latched onto a defensive error to slot home from close range and get her team off to a winning start.

POOL A: Game 3: ACT 1 (Alexandra Cook 24-) South Australia 1 (Emily Condon 4-) The hosts, ACT, were also forced to come from behind in order to escape from their first match of the competition with a tangible reward as they drew 1-1 with South Australia. Indeed, ACT was indebted to goalkeeper Jillian Scott who made a number of significant saves to deny South Australia. As well as Scott played in the ACT goal there was very little she could do to stop the game-s opening goal, scored in only the fourth minute with South Australia-s Emily Condon hitting a superb shot from distance that flashed past Scott and into the back of the net. Gabrielle Risteska worked South Australia goalkeeper Tessa Touchette before the interval as the home team, spurred on by their vocal support, went looking for an equaliser. They found the decisive goal needed four minutes into the second half. From an indirect free-kick awarded on the very edge of the penalty area the ball was laid backwards to Alexandra Cook who curled a beautiful strike high and beyond Touchette and into the top corner for a stunning leveller. Towards the end both teams strove for a winner, but a draw was probably a fair reflection of the balance of play.

POOL B: Game 4: NSW Country 5 (Erin Holder 3-, 6-, 25-, Jasmine Baily 22-, Wrylka Colburn 27-) Victoria Country 1 (Annabel Martin 28-) A hat-trick to striker Erin Holder was the main highlight of a goal-laden Pool B encounter between NSW Country and Victoria Country in match four of the FFA National Junior Championships. Holder was in sparkling form in front of goal ensuring her team went into the half-time break two goals to the good, firstly crashing home a fierce opener and secondly scrambling in a second within minutes of each other as NSW seized control from the outset. The NSW Country team were simply too quick for their opponents in the opening stanza and made their dominance count just after the break going 3-0 up when Jasmine Baily struck a fine goal. Holder completed her treble for goal number four and Wrylka Colburn added a fifth before Victoria Country showed their teeth by fighting back. A cross from the right flank was met on the half-volley by Annabel Martin, the Victorian sweeping a smartly taken first-time chance into the back of the net past the previously untroubled Kayla England in the NSW goal. Victoria Country gamely fought to the end but couldn-t reduce the gap any further as NSW recorded a big win.

NON-COMPETITIVE FIXTURE: Game 5: NSW Metro 0 Queensland 0 In the first of the non-competitive cross-pool fixtures, in which points and goals do not count towards the tournament final tally, NSW Metro and Queensland entertained a rapidly expanding crowd to a terrific match full of enthusiasm and commitment which ended goal less. That there were no goals was not due to lack of effort on part of both teams with goalkeepers Maddison Sullivan of NSW Metro and Kathryn Dorge of Queensland on their toes throughout. Natasha Prior showed strongly when she came on at half-time for Demi Koulizakis for Metro whilst Queensland-s Vivien Topalovic was a stern presence repelling the Metro attack. This was a very creditable result for Queensland, the Pool B team in this encounter, with Metro strongly favoured to take the points. However it was the team from the Sunshine State that went closest to claiming the win when Laura Sevil curled a left-foot effort from twenty metres that flashed narrowly past the goalkeeper-s right hand upright and only just eluded the onrushing forward. In the end though this was a morale boosting result for the young Queenslanders.

POOL A: Game 6: Northern NSW 0 ACT 1 (Samantha Roff 4-) A solitary goal from Samantha Roff proved the difference between the sides as the ACT claimed their first win of the competition with a 1-0 win over Northern NSW as the afternoon-s matches got underway at Hawker Football Centre. Roff showed excellent calmness and composure in receiving a pass in the right-hand channel, cutting inside the flat-footed Northern NSW defender and sliding her shot past Hannah Southwell into the centre of the goal for a sublime finish. That gave the ACT the perfect start and they were able to comfortably repel the Northern NSW attack with the home defence in rock solid form. Elsewhere in the side Olivia Fogarty played exceptionally well alongside Roff in a strike partnership full of guile and mobility. After Roff-s goal the match descended into a real middle battle of attrition with neither side willing to give an inch. The result sees the ACT unbeaten after Day One of the competition and in a good position ahead of tomorrow morning-s match against Victoria Metro.

POOL B: Game 7: NSW Country 3 (Wrylka Colburn 15-, Samara Wehmeyer 18-, Jasmine Baily 36-) Western Australia 0 NSW Country recorded their second win of the tournament to take a firm grip on Pool B during the afternoon session of the FFA National Junior Championships seeing off the challenge of Western Australia 3-0. The Country Girls are looking increasingly like the team to beat in this section led by Captain Erin Holder, ably assisted by some terrific performances, in particular from the rapid Samara Wehmeyer and the excellent Kalinda Wells. Wrylka Colburn set the ball rolling in the first half, taking full advantage of a brilliant run by Wehmeyer who cut to the by-line and sent over a wondrous cross to Colburn who controlled well before despatching her finish with aplomb. Minutes later it was 2-0 when Wehmeyer got goal-side of the Western Australian defence to arrow a low finish past Karla Edwards in goal. After the interval it was more of the same with Wehmeyer again tormenting the defence with her silky skills. NSW Country wrapped up the points close to the match conclusion when Jasmine Baily unleashed from distance to net her second goal of the competition.

POOL B: Game 8: Queensland 4 (Laura Sevil 10-, Veronica Ptak-Zylka 23-, 26-, Elise Franco 34-) Tasmania 1 (Jazmin Gorrie 40-) Queensland kick started their competitive fixtures with a hugely impressive performance in defeating Tasmania 4-1 although the score line barely reflected the balance of play with the main difference being Queensland-s ruthless streak in front of goal. While Tasmania wasted numerous chances to score, the Maroons were devastating when presented with their opportunities. Jazmin Gorrie had a fantastic chance to give Tasmania the lead early on only to see her one-on-one blocked by Kathryn Dorge in the Queensland goal. Almost immediately they were made to pay when Laura Sevil crashed home a super goal from distance to give Queensland a half-time lead. A brace of goals in quick succession to striker Veronica Ptak-Zylka secured the three points for Queensland with the tall forward showcasing her predatory instincts in the area for a well-taken brace. The diminutive Elise Franco added a fourth goal to the tally before Tasmania finally got the reward their perseverance and performance deserved when Gorrie, their outstanding player, smashed home an angled drive with almost the last kick of the match.

POOL A: Game 9: Victoria Metro 0 NSW Metro 3 (Demi Koulizakis 11-, Natasha Prior 28-, 31-) After being held to a goal less draw in their non-competitive match with Queensland earlier in the day it was a different looking NSW Metro side that confidently defeated their Victorian counterparts 3-0 in a game highlighted by two super goals from player of the match Natasha Prior. The NSW Metro midfielder was simply too big and strong for the Victorian defence who could not handle her raw power combined with refined skill. It didn-t tale long for NSW to shake off the cobwebs of their opening fixture with Demi Koulizakis barging her way into the area before finishing with a low strike from an acute angle, a shot that had Jamie Brown in the Victorian goal, who was otherwise excellent, beaten for sheer velocity. Victoria appeared to tire after the break as Prior took hold of the match. While her first goal was an example of power, a thumping shot from the edge of the area, the second owed much to technique, a superbly timed volley making the score 3-0. After that it was a case of keeping possession for NSW who saw off the threat of the Victorian attack with the minimum of fuss to put themselves into contention to top Pool A.

NON-COMPETITIVE FIXTURE: Game 10: Victoria Country 1 (Holly Boldiston 4-) South Australia 2 (Claire De Palma 13-, Victoria Mansueto 26-) The final match of a busy first at the FFA National Junior Championships in Canberra was the second cross-pool non-competitive fixture between Victoria Country and South Australia in which the South Australians came from behind to win 2-1. With no points on offer the match gave both coaches the chance to try different combinations and give more players a feel of the synthetic turf ahead of their respective pool games tomorrow. Victoria Country started brightly, even taking the lead when Holly Boldiston strode clear of a static South Australian back-line to roll her shot past Tess Touchette with almost casual ease. South Australia hit back though and equalised before half-time when Claire De Palma was quickest to react to a loose ball in the Victorian penalty to stab a shot past Kylie Thompson from close range. The South Australians then took the lead when Victoria Mansueto raced onto a pass in the penalty area, steadied herself, and fired a shot into the far corner for a splendid goal. That proved to be the last goal of the match to end an exciting day of football as evening drew in over the nation-s capital.