Some big rivalry's will be renewed this weekend...no not in the AFL but in the Victorian Womens Premier league, which starts on Sunday.
I am excited about 2011 - its a world cup year and the WPL competition has taken a youth leap this year with two talent development and a number of other teams opting for renewal.
The grand final rematch between Box Hill and Heidelberg is the block buster of the round and will be a good test to see which team fared better in the off season.
Box Hill is stacked with talent including a number of W-League players, but Heidelberg, the perrenial bridemaid should be hungary for success.
Everytime Heidelberg have beaten or drawn with Inter they have played agressively from the whistle and their forward have taken every chance to nail home goals.
The other two rivals which are new to the premier league is Doncaster Rovers and Bundoora United. The have moved up in the same leagues together and battled for top position in Division One of the womens competition last year.
It wouldn't be an exageration to call this a grudge match as both teams are going to need all the points they can get and keen to start thier inaugral season in the top league with a win.
The Ashburton and VCL Country will test both teams.
Ashburton by their own admission have undergone a renewal process and will feature a lot of young players while the country team will be playing only thier second match together are probably still trying to gel as a team.
Casey Comets is another team which has been re-vamped over the summer with a new coach and personnel and South Melbourne under the guise of former socceroo Alan Davidson improved as the season went on last year.
Sandringham could be the sleeping giant this year as they have a massive junior program and an experienced coach in Shaune Parton.
They have also recruited former WPL coach of the year, Deb Nichols, who parted ways with Casey Comets and led Casey to finals, Not only that she was known to play in goals for the club they were short on keepers.
Altona on the otherhand struggled last year and would have been relegated but for Bendigo withdrawing.
Can Box Hill and Heidelberg maintain thier dominance in a competition with a sawg of young and hungary girls?
Lets find out - you can find the fixture here
Showing posts with label Ashburton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ashburton. Show all posts
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Victorian Womens Premier League Expands in 2011
Wow the Victorian Womens Premier League has really snuck up on me! It starts TODAY with a rescheduled match between the new teams VCL Country and the Emerging Athletes team.
Have a comment about this years WPL or the womens game - then tweet me @sangriablues
The league has undergone a major expansion this year, which includes two talent development teams.
The league has increased to 11 teams with two new teams Bundoora United and Doncaster Rovers joining the WPL after Prestons Lions’ relegation and Bendigo Vipers withdrawal.
The league kicked off this week with one game played on Sunday and the remaining games being played next weekend.
VCL Country and Emerging Athlete Program (EAP) started their season today and are playing both making their WPL debut as the FFV tried to ramp up its talent development pathway.
Both teams will play as a senior team only, will be exempt from relegation and they will play for points but not be able to play finals football.
They will have young and upcoming players as will Bundoora and Doncaster which will play their first year at the top level.
The lean towards to younger players is also being reflected in a number of established teams including Ashburton and Casey Comets.
Casey have a new coach after the club parted ways with Deb Nichols, leaving the WPL with no female coach in the top league.
Ian Williamson, who has coached in the FFV’s Champions League for a number of seasons, has taken over at the Comets and said he has been given direction from the club to rebuild the squad.
“We have a young and enthusiastic team with a lot of speed and commitment,” Williamson said adding that only five regular players from last year remain in the team.
Chris Michail has been reappointed at Ashburton and will be relying on many of his reserve players to step up to the next level.
Ashburton’s reserves team have topped the league in five out of the past six years.
“We have a completely different team this years, the average age has dropped dramatically as we enter a rebuilding phase,” Michail said.
The two powerhouse teams Box Hill and Heidelberg will have the same look and feel and will form the benchmark of the competition.
Box Hill are not without their own talent program with five club members being selected in the Victorian under-17 state teams last year.
They also have a string of Melbourne Victory players including Matildas captain Melissa Barbieri, New Zealand international Marlies Oostdam and Louisa Bisby.
Sandringham will look to build on their third place finish in 2010, which was their best to date, and South Melbourne’s Alan Davidson will be looking to consolidate after reversing the club’s decline last year.
Altona City will return to the WPL for their second year, despite finishing second last in their maiden season in 2010, escaping relegation when the Vipers withdrew.
The new talent program teams will add an element of the unknown to the WPL as will the rebuilding going on in a number of the established teams.
Injuries and squad depth will probably play a big role in making the top four but its probably a given that Box Hill and Heidelberg will battle it out at the top.
Expect some upsets and expect to see some young talent start to make an impact – in a world cup year for the womens game that’s about as good as it can get.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Victoria WPL Round 11: Inter smash Ashburton
Box Hill Inter recorded a huge 5-0 victory over Asburton to launch them back into contention for the top spot in the league in round 11 of the Womens Premier League (WPL) on the weekend.
Bendigo Vipers drew with South Melbourne halting South’s return to form and Altona City notched up their second win of the year over Casey Comets.
The final game of the round, which will determine the top of the league, will be played Monday night between Heidelberg United and Sandringham. The Bergers have a game in hand, but a loss will see Inter reclaim the top position in the league on their impressive goal difference.
Box Hill Inter bounced back after a shock draw to South Melbourne last week and a loss to Casey in round nine to thrash the fourth placed Ashburton.
Aleksandra Sinclair and Natalie Exon both scored a brace for Inter and Deanna Niceski was the other goal scorer for the reigning WPL Premiers.
The win by Inter, their biggest since round 16 last year, has finally shown the potential of the team which has captured the WPL premiership sixth time in eight years.
This year Inter has the bonus of returning W-League players, such as Louisa Bisby, Tal Karp and Jessica Humble following the shift in policy of the National Training Centre program which, in 2009, prevented players from Melbourne Victory from playing in the WPL.
Box Hill also recruited several new W-League players including New Zealand national player, Marlies Oostdam and young talent Ursula Hughson. They also have the biggest weapon in the womens game between the uprights in Matilda captain Melissa Barbieri.
Inters victory is all the more impressive given it was against Ashburton, which have showed form this year notching up five wins to sit in fourth place. But this is Ashburton’s third loss on the trot marking a mid-season slump for the Chis Michaile’s team.
Altona City, the new team to the league in 2010, grabbed their second win of the season, coming from behind to defeat Casey Comets 3-2 at HC Kim Reserve on Sunday afternoon.
The defeat ended the Comets run of wins over the past three weeks and is a lost opportunity for them to break into the top four following Ashburton’s loss.
Altona held good possession in the first half but it was the Comets which scored from their first decent shot of the game when Talia Silivestros found the back of the net.
The home team responded in emphatic fashion blasting two goals in the first four minutes of the second half – a lead they held onto for the remainder of the match.
Christine Fonua got the equaliser two minutes after the major break to put the teams on equal terms and Alex Miller scored Altona’s second goal minutes later to grab the lead.
Altona held that momentum when Kerri Little found the net for the home team to give them a 3-1 buffer.
The Comets showed they were not done with Altona and snatched a consolation goal four minutes from full time, but Altona held on for their second win of the season.
Altona coach Paul Kilpatrick was understandably pleased with the effort of his young team against a quality opposition, especially since the team is missing five of their regular starters due to injury.
“Casey are a good side, but I felt we dominated the game,” Kilpatrick said after the match.
“The girls competed for 90 minutes and we had a few players that were pretty much down on form in the first half but after half time everyone lifted as a team.”
“To go 3-1 up to a team…that will go close to playing finals this year (Casey Comets), it was good. I felt we deserved the three points and it was just a good team effort,” he said.
Despite the win Altona remain in second last position, but they are equal on points with South Melbourne, on goal difference. Casey remain in fifth position, level on points with fourth placed Ashburton, but below on goal difference.
In the other game of the round South Melbourne and Bendigo Vipers fought out a one-all draw at McIvor Reserve on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams have similar records over the past three weeks notching up a win and two draws and hitting some form half way through the season.
The Vipers came into this game following a huge moral boosting win over third placed Sandringham last week and they took a 1-0 lead in the first half when midfielder Paige Conder was on target, and they took this advantage into the break.
In the second half South hit back through Penny Bakopoulos to level the match 1-1 and neither team was able to break the deadlock before the final whistle.
South Melbourne have shown marked improvement over the past three games after a disaster start to season, which saw them unable to win a game until round five.
The return of Laura Spiranovic and the appointment of new coach Alan Davidson seems to have improved the fortunes of South Melbourne, which had their best season ever in 2009 finishing third.
Next week the Vipers face the formidable task of playing Box Hill at home on Friday night while South Melbourne will have their work cut out for them when they take on Heidelberg. Ashburton will be hoping to get their season back on track when they play Altona at home and Preston will be back in action after a week off to play Sandringham.
Bendigo Vipers drew with South Melbourne halting South’s return to form and Altona City notched up their second win of the year over Casey Comets.
The final game of the round, which will determine the top of the league, will be played Monday night between Heidelberg United and Sandringham. The Bergers have a game in hand, but a loss will see Inter reclaim the top position in the league on their impressive goal difference.
Box Hill Inter bounced back after a shock draw to South Melbourne last week and a loss to Casey in round nine to thrash the fourth placed Ashburton.
Aleksandra Sinclair and Natalie Exon both scored a brace for Inter and Deanna Niceski was the other goal scorer for the reigning WPL Premiers.
The win by Inter, their biggest since round 16 last year, has finally shown the potential of the team which has captured the WPL premiership sixth time in eight years.
This year Inter has the bonus of returning W-League players, such as Louisa Bisby, Tal Karp and Jessica Humble following the shift in policy of the National Training Centre program which, in 2009, prevented players from Melbourne Victory from playing in the WPL.
Box Hill also recruited several new W-League players including New Zealand national player, Marlies Oostdam and young talent Ursula Hughson. They also have the biggest weapon in the womens game between the uprights in Matilda captain Melissa Barbieri.
Inters victory is all the more impressive given it was against Ashburton, which have showed form this year notching up five wins to sit in fourth place. But this is Ashburton’s third loss on the trot marking a mid-season slump for the Chis Michaile’s team.
Altona City, the new team to the league in 2010, grabbed their second win of the season, coming from behind to defeat Casey Comets 3-2 at HC Kim Reserve on Sunday afternoon.
The defeat ended the Comets run of wins over the past three weeks and is a lost opportunity for them to break into the top four following Ashburton’s loss.
Altona held good possession in the first half but it was the Comets which scored from their first decent shot of the game when Talia Silivestros found the back of the net.
The home team responded in emphatic fashion blasting two goals in the first four minutes of the second half – a lead they held onto for the remainder of the match.
Christine Fonua got the equaliser two minutes after the major break to put the teams on equal terms and Alex Miller scored Altona’s second goal minutes later to grab the lead.
Altona held that momentum when Kerri Little found the net for the home team to give them a 3-1 buffer.
The Comets showed they were not done with Altona and snatched a consolation goal four minutes from full time, but Altona held on for their second win of the season.
Altona coach Paul Kilpatrick was understandably pleased with the effort of his young team against a quality opposition, especially since the team is missing five of their regular starters due to injury.
“Casey are a good side, but I felt we dominated the game,” Kilpatrick said after the match.
“The girls competed for 90 minutes and we had a few players that were pretty much down on form in the first half but after half time everyone lifted as a team.”
“To go 3-1 up to a team…that will go close to playing finals this year (Casey Comets), it was good. I felt we deserved the three points and it was just a good team effort,” he said.
Despite the win Altona remain in second last position, but they are equal on points with South Melbourne, on goal difference. Casey remain in fifth position, level on points with fourth placed Ashburton, but below on goal difference.
In the other game of the round South Melbourne and Bendigo Vipers fought out a one-all draw at McIvor Reserve on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams have similar records over the past three weeks notching up a win and two draws and hitting some form half way through the season.
The Vipers came into this game following a huge moral boosting win over third placed Sandringham last week and they took a 1-0 lead in the first half when midfielder Paige Conder was on target, and they took this advantage into the break.
In the second half South hit back through Penny Bakopoulos to level the match 1-1 and neither team was able to break the deadlock before the final whistle.
South Melbourne have shown marked improvement over the past three games after a disaster start to season, which saw them unable to win a game until round five.
The return of Laura Spiranovic and the appointment of new coach Alan Davidson seems to have improved the fortunes of South Melbourne, which had their best season ever in 2009 finishing third.
Next week the Vipers face the formidable task of playing Box Hill at home on Friday night while South Melbourne will have their work cut out for them when they take on Heidelberg. Ashburton will be hoping to get their season back on track when they play Altona at home and Preston will be back in action after a week off to play Sandringham.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Round Nine WPL: Casey take down Box Hill at Wembley
Round nine produced a weekend of upsets in the Victorian Womens Premier League (WPL) with Casey Comets slaying Box Hill Inter at Wembley Park on Friday night then South Melbourne grabbing their first win of the season defeating the in-form Ashburton.
Heidelberg’s good form continues with a 4-1 victory over Preston with goal sneak Melanie Camilleri contributing two goals while, Bendigo and Altona shared the spoils with a one-all draw.
The Comets 2-1 win at Wembley Park on Friday night was almost a year to the day when they defeated Box Hill in 2009 to end the reigning premiers four-year unbeaten run at home.
The Comets have form at Wembley Park, having not lost there in five years.
The first half had all the action as both teams found the target. Inter’s goal coming courtesy of the powerful Kat Smith while Caroline McEvoy and 
Nicola Prins both contributed for Casey.
Despite suffering its first loss for 2010 Box Hill retain top position in the WPL, however its a worrying sign for Inter, which is stacked with Melbourne Victory players, which only managed draws against Bendigo and Sandringham in recent weeks.
The young Casey team on the other hand will take confidence from the big win, their fourth of the year, which see them knocking on the door of the top four.
Ashburton missed out on the chance to regain top position in the WPL when South Melbourne managed their first win of the year with a sweet 2-0 victory on Sunday afternoon at McIvor Reserve.
Two former Asburton players did the damage for South Melbourne after a scoreless first half.
After finishing third in the league in 2009, South Melbourne has suffered a spectacular fall from grace in 2010, remaining at the bottom of the table despite the weekends win.
Assistance coach of South Melbourne, Matt Shaw, said it was a relief to finally be ‘off the mark’ and get the clubs first win of the season.
“We’ve been working hard on the game plan and working hard to get the results,” he said.
Shaw attributed his teams win to commitment to the ball and quality defending, and praised the contribution of Laura Spiranovic. who didn’t score but put significant pressure on Ashburton’s defence.
“The challenge now is to improve the aspects of the game we have been working on, hopefully it’s the start of some thing,” said Shaw.
Last years runner-up Heidelberg United put their stamp on the game early against the Preston Lions when 2009 Golden Boot, Camilleri found range in the third minute to put the Bergers in front.
Preston responded in the 11th minute when Jacinta Mazza curled a sublime free kick into the top left from 25 yards out to even up the match.
Two minutes later Heidelberg’s Sarah Groenewald’s cross found Belinda Pannella and she passed to team mate Julia Nicolaci ,who found the back of the net to give the Bergers a 2-1 advantage.
Substitute Meghan Archer added to Heidelberg’s score when she headed in a Camilleri cross in the seven minutes into the second half then Camilleri got her second ten minutes later to seal the 4-1 win.
Altona’s first trip to Bendigo resulted in a one-all draw with the Vipers, but gave them a valuable point to keep them out of the bottom two for the first time this season.
Talented youngster Sarah Richardson scored for the Vipers and Alexandra Miller was Altona’s single goal scorer.
Altona are the new team in the WPL and despite only winning one match they have been competitive at the top level.
Half way through the 2010 WPL season its no surprise to see Box Hill again topping the league but Sandringham, who had a bye this week, are equal on points and in second place on goal difference. Ashburton and Heidelberg are in second and third with Casey just outside in fifth position.
Next week South Melbourne will be tested when they take on Box Hill, Sandringham are back in action against Bendigo, Heidelberg make their inaugural trip to HC Kim Reserve to play Altona while the Comets will play Preston.
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