FFA National Junior Championships - Girls U-13 Day 2

A full match-by-match account of Day 2 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

4

3

0

1

11

2

+9

9

2

Queensland

3

3

0

0

6

1

+5

9

3

Western Australia

3

2

0

1

3

4

-1

6

4

Victoria Country

3

0

0

3

1

7

-6

0

5

Tasmania

3

0

0

3

2

9

-7

0

POOL A: Game 11: ACT 0 Victoria Metro 1 (Bronte James 6-) A cool morning welcomed the hosts ACT and Victoria Metro on Day Two of the FFA Junior National Championships at Hawker Football Centre. Having been unbeaten on the opening day the ACT would have been confident of continuing that trend against a Victoria Metro team that was beaten in both their Day One fixtures. However, the Victorians showed a much better cohesion in this match and took the lead thanks to a brilliantly taken goal by Bronte James. The Victorian winger smashed a shot over the head of Jillian Scott from just inside the box to give her team the lead. The ACT threatened the Victorian goal after the break with lively striker Samantha Roff a thorn in the Victorian defence. At the other end Eleni Fakos was a nuisance throughout with Lorna Arkell having to be at her best to contain the menace of the Victoria attacker. As the ACT pushed in vain for an equalising goal Victoria Metro hit them on the counter and Emily Harbis forced Scott into a smart stop. On the balance of play Metro probably just deserved their win, a result which keeps alive their hopes of becoming National Champions.

POOL B: Game 12: Tasmania 0 NSW Country 3 (Kya Godbier 2-, Eliza Roth 17-, Wrylka Colburn 22-) NSW Country continued to be the force in Pool B of the competition winning their third match in succession with a convincing victory over a gallant Tasmania in Canberra. NSW Country was in the ascendancy for the majority of the match and led 2-0 by the interval thanks to goals from Kya Godbier and Eliza Roth. Godbier opened the scoring after converting a pass from the outstanding Samara Wehmeyer before Roth pounced on a loose ball following a goalmouth scramble to double the lead. After the half-time break Tasmania tried their best to get back into the match with Hannah Purton going closest after a swift beak caught Country napping. Unfortunately for Tasmania the striker-s shot flashed just wide of the post. At the other end Country were threatening with most of their attacks and, despite a strong showing from defender Innocent Fadia, Tasmania leaked a third goal shortly before full-time. A cross into the area was unfortunately lost by Tasmania goalkeeper Jessica Bender and, when the ball rebounded off the post, Wrylka Colburn was quickest to react to prod the ball just over the line.

POOL A: Game 13: South Australia 0 NSW Metro 1 (Shannon Willcox 25-) NSW Metro made it two wins from two in Pool A of the FFA National Junior Championships but they were made to work extremely hard for the victory by South Australia who pushed them all the way before succumbing to a goal five minutes into the second half. In a contest that developed into a midfield battle there was an element of a cagey feel to the encounter as two evenly matched tams traded blow for blow on the synthetic turf at Hawker Football Centre. With Matilda McNamara in a no-nonsense mood at the back for the South Australians, the Metro attack was reduced to trying their luck from distance with Natasha Prior and Erin Pridmore testing out Tessa Touchette from range. Up front for South Australia Emily Condon worked hard and, with both sides reduced to speculative attempts, a draw was looking the more likely. However, it only took one moment of magic for Metro to take the points and move onto six on the Pool A ladder. A free-kick from the right side of the field eluded the South Australian defence and Shannon Willcox arrived to head into the net to the delight of the large band of NSW supporters in the crowd.

POOL B: Game 14: Victoria Country 0 Queensland 1 (Laura Sevil 35-) Queensland kept up the pressure on NSW Country at the top of Pool B with a hard-fought, narrow, 1-0 victory over Victoria Country. Much of the match proved to be a dour midfield tussle with neither side able to stamp their authority on the fixture with both goalkeepers, Kylie Thompson of Victoria Country and Kathryn Dorge of Queensland, largely redundant having only a handful of medium range shots to worry them. Victoria Country, who had lost both of their previous matches to date, one of which was a non-competitive clash, played some neat, intricate football including several passages of play that threatened to create what may have been the critical opening. As it was it was the Queensland team that made the crucial breakthrough in the second half. Laura Sevil, who had enjoyed an excellent opening day of action yesterday, received a pass deep in the Victoria Country half, advanced forward and unleashed a ferocious shot that flashed low and hard beyond Thompson and into the bottom corner of the net. It was Sevil-s second goal of the tournament an ultimately proved enough to secure the three points for the team from the Sunshine State.

NON-COMPETITIVE FIXTURE: Game 15: Northern NSW 1 (Claire Wheeler 39- (pen)) Western Australia 0 Northern NSW and Western Australia met in the first non-competitive cross-over match of the day and fought each other to a stand-still before a late penalty, converted by Claire Wheeler gave Northern NSW the victory. The decision, which occurred close to the end of the match, divided opinion but was rough justice on Western Australia who played well throughout. Indeed Western Australia could well have found themselves in front before the late penalty drama with Shauni Reid twice going close to pinching a goal for her state. Early on Reid was presented with a good chance to open the scoring when Katherine Moore intercepted a wayward Hannah Southwell clearance with the ball bouncing to Reid who struck the ball towards goal only to see it clear the crossbar. Wheeler had the best chance of the match for Northern before the penalty drama when she fired a shot that Southwell saved well whilst Reid dribbled a shot wide of goal for Western Australia when well placed. With Courtney Hall in solid form for Western it appeared as if the match would end in a goalless stalemate before Wheeler won it for Northern from the penalty spot.

NON-COMPETITIVE FIXTURE: Game 16: Victoria Metro 1 (Bronte James 23-) Tasmania 1 (Hannah Purton 7-) Once again a non-competitive cross-pool fixture indicated the closeness of the competition as Victoria Metro, from Pool A, and Tasmania, from Pool B, finished honours even in a 1-1 draw. Tasmania, who had lost their three previous matches in the tournament, shocked Victoria Metro by playing some incisive attacking football in the first twenty minutes and deservedly took the lead through a thunderbolt from Hannah Purton from just outside the penalty area with Srbahat Rexhep well beaten. The lead lasted for most of the match until Metro hit back during the second half. A cross from out wide fell nicely for Bronte James who crashed a shot past substitute ‘keeper Jessica Bender to level the scores. And Metro must have thought they had won the game close to the end when a second goal from James was disallowed. A foul three metres outside the penalty area gave Metro a free-kick in an attacking position which James thumped high over the wall and into the top corner. Unfortunately for the Metro playmaker the referee hadn-t confirmed that she could take the kick quickly and thus ruled the goal out for a technical infringement.

POOL A: Game 17: ACT 0 NSW Metro 3 (Natasha Prior 4-, Georgia Plessas 11-, Shania-Rose Pourrashidi 26-) NSW Metro proved far too strong for the home-town ACT team in their Pool A match-up in the afternoon running out convincing 3-0 winners in an exhibition of outstanding attacking football. Indeed, had not ACT goalkeeper Jillian Scott been in tip-top form the scoreboard could have been more one-sided with the ACT custodian making a string of wonderful saves to deny the visitors. Metro took the lead in the first-half when Natasha Prior controlled a Ruby Jackson free-kick on her chest before swivelling to smash her shot high into the roof of the net. Buoyed by their early success Metro stormed onto the offensive with their wingers in top form. The gaps created allowed Georgia Plessas to race through and slot in the second goal to give Metro a 2-0 half-time cushion. The ACT, with Nickoletta Flannery putting in the hard yards, gave their all in an attempt to claw their way back into the contest in the second half but were caught on the beak when Shania-Rose Pourrashidi saw her cross-shot fortuitously drop into the net for 3-0 to complete Metro-s victory and keep the NSW side top of the Pool.

POOL B: Game 18: Queensland 1 (Veronica Ptak-Zylka 23-) NSW Country 0 A sublime chip from striker Veronica Ptak-Zylka decided the top-of-the-table Pool B clash between Queensland and NSW Country in favour of the Maroons who must now be considered hot favourites to finish top of the section. A point against Western Australia in their final match will be enough for Queensland to edge ahead of NSW Country and claim that honour. Ptak-Zylka latched onto a pass midway through the second half to send a delightful chip over the head of Country stopper Jada Mathysson-Whyman to register her third goal of the tournament and give Queensland maximum points. Earlier in the match it had been the hard-running of central player Afrikah McGladrigan, combined with the speedy wing play of Elise Franco that had been most noticeable in a game devoid of any serious clear-cut chances. For Country the outlet of forward pairing Samara Wehmeyer and Erin Holder appeared their best bet but the duo were well handled by the Maroons defence. Mikayla Ralph may have added a second late on but blazed over the bar from fifteen metres.

POOL B: Game 19: Western Australia 1 (Maddison Schofield 35-) Victoria Country 0 The penultimate match of Day Two of the FFA National Junior Championships resulted in Western Australia sneaking past the challenge of Victoria Country thanks to a second half goal thumped into the net by striker Maddison Schofield. Schofield collected a pass just inside the area to hammer a drive past Jasmine West in the Country goal to give her team the three points. It was probably just deserved on the balance of play with Western Australia creating the better of the chances. In the first half Western almost took the lead when forward Abbey Meakins found herself unmarked in the penalty area but was foiled by a super save from West. The pace of Xuxu Errington-Wood was the cause of most problems for the Country defence in which Janna Lawson and, in particular, Maggie Smith excelled. Schofield really should have scored before her match clincher after a barnstorming run took her into the Country penalty area but she shot tamely straight at the goalkeeper when well placed at the angle. However, Schofield made amends minutes later with the match-winner that decided the outcome of a tight contest.

POOL A: Game 20: South Australia 0 Northern NSW 0 South Australia and Northern NSW brought the curtain down on Day Two of the FFA National Junior Championships by playing out a goalless draw, the first no-goal stalemate of the tournament, with chances at a premium. Northern NSW striker Courtney Fullbrook ran the channels unselfishly for her team mates creating space for partner Claire Wheeler who tested out Tessa Touchette in the South Australian goal from distance with the shot-stopper equal to the task at hand. In the main though the threatening Northern front pair were well-shackled by the South Australian defence with Alexandra Chidiac, Georgia Bailey and Giorgia Contos showing remarkable positioning and composure at the back. Up front South Australia relied on the skill and technique of Chrissy Panagaris whose movement enabled her team to always have an outlet from midfield. Despite the best endeavours of both teams though neither was able to make the breakthrough and both had to settle for a well-earned point to end the day. Both teams complete their pool fixtures tomorrow on Day Three with South Australia facing Victoria Metro and Northern NSW taking on NSW Metro.