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.

Jade Barden was on target from long range to get South on the board 15 minutes in the second half. Lucrece Lavrdue did a lovely left foot finish from outside the box to seal South’s second 20 minutes later.

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 11^th 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.

Box Hill Bounce Back as WPL Heats Up

The competition for a Womens Premier League (WPl) finals berth heated up on the weekend when Box Hill bounced back from successive losses to stay in the top four while Heidelberg reclaimed the number one position.

Last years grand finalists, Heidelberg , moved back into top position in the league after crushing Preston, but are even on points with South Melbourne who defeated other finals aspirant Casey Comets.

There is a mere four points separating the top five teams in what is turning out to be the most exciting conclusion to the WPL in many years.

Box Hill’s 2-0 defeat of Ashburton has kept them in third position on the premiership ladder, after a slump in form which saw them lose three games in four weeks.

Going into Friday’s nights game, Inter faced the prospect of dropping out of the top four and, with only three rounds remaining in the home and away season, missing the finals series for the first time in the history of the WPL.

The game at Wembley Park was all locked up at half time with neither team able to find the back of the net.

It was Box Hill’s reliable striker, Amanda Lawless, who broke the deadlock 22 minutes into the second half and getting her team on the board. She followed this up with her second goal one minute later and sealed the game for the defending premiers.

The win over Ashburton keeps Inter in third position on the premiership table, while Ashburton now slips to sixth place.

Ashburton play fifth placed Sandringham next week in what will be a battle for both to remain in contention for the finals.

Sandringham kept their finals hopes alive with a 5-0 drumming of Geelong .

Heidelberg ’s comprehensive 4-0 win over Preston Lions began in the first half when Tyla Vlajnic scored two goals and Rita Mankowska also contributed to give the Bergers a 3-0 lead at the main break.

Julia Nicolaci scored another for Heidelberg in the second half further boosting Heidelberg ’s goal difference, which may become crucial in deciding the finals positions in 2009.

Prestons loss was a baptism of fire for the Lion’s newly appointed coach Robert Spasevski who replaced Andy Fry.

South Melbourne continued to press their case for the premiership with a 4-1 win over Casey Comets.

These two teams have been the two rising stars of the 2009 WPL competition and South’s win put them in second place on the table on goal different but face an easier run home than Casey.

The Comets have the bye next week then face Heidelberg and Box Hill in their two final games, which is a tough ask for the young team, but will make for some quality womens football in the final rounds.