Perth Soccer Club continue to lead the race for a double chance in the Top Four Cup after thumping Curtin University 7-0 in Round 20 of the NPLWA – Women’s competition.
Peter Rakic’s team remain second and two points clear of Fremantle City after Friday’s win, and know they will sew up a top-two finish if they at least match Fremantle’s result on the final day.
Jess Flannery took the headlines with a hat-trick at Edinburgh Oval which puts the forward on 10 goals for the season. She nodded in the opener from Jaime Duncanson’s cross inside nine minutes, before Perth’s leading scorer Duncanson added a swift second after Judy Connolly broke forward and squared across goal.
Poppie Hooks burst upfield from full-back and put it on a plate for Monique Godding who netted a third, and the former Balcatta midfielder rolled in a simple fourth after unselfish play from Gemma Craine.
Three more goals followed after the restart as Flannery’s low left-footed finish made it five before the Goldfields forward’s corner was met by Matilda Bohm’s header for six.
A late seventh was added with a high looping effort completing Flannery’s treble and making it 19 defeats in 19 games for Curtin.
Jess Flannery scored her second hat-trick of 2023 in Perth Sc's 7-0 win at Curtin. Photo by Rob Lizzi
Fremantle City maintained their hopes of finishing top two as they prevailed 4-3 over Hyundai NTC with Faye Chambers’ side making it three wins in their past four games.
It was a fast start and a thrilling first half at E&D Litis Stadium as NTC opened the scoring after 38 seconds. Ischia Brooking got it as she intercepted a pass across goal before volleying a terrific effort past goalkeeper Indiana Antunes.
Freo equalised quickly as Olivia Trueman collected a stray back-pass and slotted in, and they were remarkably 2-1 up after seven minutes when Jamie-Lee Gale beat Lilly Bailey to a through ball and put into a vacant net.
Annabelle Leek’s free-kick was then glanced into her own net by the unfortunate Violet Longmore for 3-1, but NTC would not lie down and pulled a goal back thanks to Grace Johnston’s stunning 35-yard strike.
Freo were 3-2 ahead with only 18 minutes on the clock, and there was still time for another goal in a crazy first half as Laura Waltman bent in a beauty from 20 yards for City’s fourth.
The goals dried up in the second half, but Tanika Lala did strike home on her left-foot with two minutes remaining to set up a tense finish.
That was the end of the scoring and it meant a second loss in three matches for NTC, but they remain overwhelming favourites to record back-to-back top-four finishes.
They currently sit two points clear of fifth-placed Balcatta Etna and know a win in Wednesday’s game in hand against Curtin University will seal their position once and for all.
Etna were able to keep their outside hopes of a finals finish alive as they built on last week’s draw at leaders Perth RedStar with a 2-0 win over Murdoch University Melville.
Two Tia Stonehill goals got the job done for Yash Pratap’s team as she moved one goal clear of Reina Kagami in the NPLWA – Women’s Golden Boot race. Her first was a nicely timed volley from Kim McCartney’s corner, before she slalomed through multiple challenges and found the corner with a low effort.
Balcatta are now unbeaten in three, while MUM FC’s loss means they will finish sixth regardless of their last-day result and their attention now turns to September’s Hyundai Women’s State Cup final against NTC.
Elsewhere on Sunday, champions Perth RedStar cruised to a 4-0 win over Subiaco AFC at Rosalie Park, which extended their unbeaten league run to 19 games.
It took half an hour for Carlos Vega Mena’s side to break down the hosts with Jayna Ridley’s clever finish stylishly making it goals in back-to-back matches for the forward.
RedStar’s number nine registered again before the break when a loose ball broke her way in the penalty area following Reina Kagami’s corner.
Alkira Mogridge’s perfectly weighted pass picked out the run of Sarah Carroll who coolly finished to make it 3-0 early in the second half.
Sophia Neal then made it four as she headed home Kagami’s corner to add to the brace she scored last week as RedStar ran out comfortable winners. Subi remained seventh with a fourth defeat in five.
