The excitement continued for another round with the Grace Martin Trophy and Bill Brackenbury Cup competitions against showcasing the quality of football in the CDSFA region.
Read below to find out exactly what happened.
Grace Martin Trophy
There were some big scores and some exciting comebacks in the Grace Martin Trophy which has already proven to be an unpredictable and entertaining league this season.
Russell Lea 0-5 Leichhardt Saints A
It was second place versus dead last on the ladder and the result reflected both side’s position on the Grace Martin Trophy ladder.
It was a dominant performance by the defending champions with Sophie Lewis heading in from a corner early in the match before Aisling Carolan fired in after some ricochets in the box to double the lead going into the break.
In the second half, a determined run from Macy Diett led to the third goal but the pick of the goals were the long range efforts from outside the box from Maeve Galley and Emily Farrington.
Balmain B 2-4 Cooks River Titans
Two teams who were firmly in midfield took each other on with Cooks River dominating the early play. Their ascendency paid dividends when a long-range shot from Kate Trebilcock opened the scoring for the Titans.
Trebilcock doubled the team’s lead soon after.
Balmain B got themselves right back into the match just before half time with a slick counter-attacking move allowing Megan Parker to score, with the scores at 2-1 going into the break.
Cooks River re-established their two goal lead with a tap-in to Claire Whitehouse before Trebilcock secured the match with her hat-trick mid-way through the second half.
Strathfield 1-1 Enfield
A late afternoon derby at Strathfield Park proved the entertainment it was billed to be. Strathfield vs Enfield always provides the sparks and the spectators present were treated to a fine game of football with the frenetic pace of the game drawing in visitors to the park to watch the game.
Strathfield came into the match with some regulars missing again with Division 3 players boosting the depth on the match sheet. But it was the visitors, Enfield, who would open the scoring.
Philomena Colagiuri played a 1-2 with Elizabeth Salvagio who split the Strathfield defence with an impressive through-ball that Nicole Castro hit first time across the keeper from the edge of the box.
After the half time break it was Strathfield who would be on the front foot and their equaliser arrived in fine fashion with a deft touch from Alexandra Georgopoulos that set-up Lauren Williams for the goal.
Both teams were showing that their presence in the Grace Martin Trophy was justified as chances were created and then held off by strong defence and goalkeeping performances.
The 1-1 result proved to be a fair one despite both team’s frustrations at not sealing a win. A commanding performance from both squads played with a sporting spirit.
Concord B 3-3 Balmain A
Under the cool cloudless skies, the lights came on at Majors Bay Reserve to shine on a spectacular game of football between Concord B and Balmain A.
With Concord only fielding nine players at the start of the match due to an ever-increasing injury list, Balmain opened the scoring through a stunning solo effort by Morgan McCormack in only the third minute. Rebecca Keywood doubled Balmain’s lead soon after with it becoming clear that Concord were unable to close down Balmain’s extra players.
With 15 minutes played and two goals down, Concord was able to field one additional player to have 10 on the field and this came with a bit more confidence to move the ball around and start creating chances.
Not long afterwards, Charlotte Trapnell picked up the ball from Concord’s half of the field, ran 40 metres – while beating two defenders – and placed the ball in the bottom right corner away from the outstretched fingers of the goalkeeper.
Concord’s celebrations were short lived as Balmain struck back within two minutes with a well-placed free kick from Arielle Bolton to maintain their two goal lead.
Balmain finished the first half strong, with Concord showing tiredness was creeping in from the extra field coverage the team had to do the entire half.
The second half started just as the first one finished, with Balmain maintaining the intensity and creating early chances in an effort to seal the game. However Concord showed they were up to the task with defenders Alana Carling, Kyla Gray, Olivia Femia, Natalie Lopes, and Lucinda Ward holding back attack after attack and frustrating Balmain.
Concords goalkeeper, Amanda Coral, also completed some unorthodox saves, which further frustrated Balmain and boosted Concord’s confidence.
After almost 75 minutes, Concord’s hustle paid off when Arzu Tasdemir stole the ball from a Balmain attacker and found Charlotte Trapnell on the halfway line. Trapnell flicked the ball past her defender, ran down the left side of the field, and cut into the box before blasting the ball in to the top right corner of the goal.
Concord were back in the game at 3-2.
This second goal by Concord rattled Balmain and Concord could feel the electricity in the air and sense that this game could still be salvaged. It was Concord’s turn to pick up the intensity, although they were still a player down they seemed to be playing on pure adrenalin.
With five minutes left on the clock, a Balmain pass did not make it to its intended recipient as Concord defender, Olivia Femia, put her last remaining energy into sliding and cutting out the pass. The ball fell miraculously to Rebecca Eldridge, who turned and put Michala Bourbous through behind the defence.
Bourbous was not in shooting range so ran with the ball towards the 18 yard box and, with two defenders in pursuit, she took her chance and shot and scored in the top right corner.
The game finished at 3-3.
Concord A 7-0 Canterbury Juniors
On a cool evening at Majors Bay Reserve, the match was played under ideal conditions as Concord A looked to keep their position on the top of the Grace Martin Trohpy standings.
Concord took a slight field position advantage in the early play against a young team keen to contest every loose ball but it wasn’t until 20 minutes in that Lauren Angelis broke the deadlock with a shot at range following a nice weaving run through the centre of the field beating the keeper.
The contest for possession continued with some attacks on both goals.
Concord defended well against some strong counter-attacks from Canterbury however it was Concord who was successful at scoring at regular intervals from well-structured passing moves.
There were regular delays to play where the referee checked the condition of the Canterbury players in what became at times a heated battle. Two free kicks awarded to Concord players from just outside the penalty area resulted in goals.
Alana Angelis earned a hat-trick in the 7-0 victory while Chelsey Johnson, Ellie Jones, and April Hunter were also on the scoresheet.
Upcoming Games
Balmain DFC v Canterbury Juniors: 7pm Thursday 5 May at Waterfont Drive
Enfield v Concord A: 1:05pm Sunday 8 May at Henley Park
Leichhardt Saints A v Concord B: 1:25pm Sunday 8 May at King George Park
Hurlstone Park v Balmain B: 2:50pm Sunday 8 May at Ewen Park
Canterbury Juniors v Russell Lea: 2:55pm Sunday 8 May at Croydon Park
Cooks River Titans v Strathfield: 3:10pm Sunday 8 May at Beaman Park
Balmain A v Leichhardt Saints B: 4:05pm Sunday 8 May at Waterfron Drive
Bill Brackenbury Cup
Most games went to form this week in the Bill Brackenbury Cup.
Cooks River Titans 2-1 APIA Leichhardt
After an embarrassing result last week, Cooks River Titans were looking to get back into the winner’s circle against an APIA Leichhardt side that were yet to taste victory this season.
The match started with Cooks River enjoying the majority of possession but with both teams creating chances.
With six minutes left in the half, Cooks River took the lead with a nice finish from inside the box by Andrew Theodorou.
APIA came out fighting in the second half and got their deserved reward only four minutes into the second stanza when Julian Rinaldi equalised.
But the long-awaited victory for APIA did not come, with Cooks River instead earning the three points when Dimitri Aronis took the lead for the Titans with a great finish around the keeper.
Marrickville 0-1 LFC Sports
Neither club was able to supply match information in time for publication.
Hurlstone Park Wanderers 8-0 Balmain DFC
Neither club was able to supply match information in time for publication.
Upcoming Games
Balmain DFC v Enfield: 8pm Friday 6 May at Waterfront Drive
Inter Lions v Burwood FC: 2:45pm Saturday 7 May at Majors Bay Reserve
LFC Sports v Hurlstone Park: 5pm Saturday 7 May at Parry Park
APIA Leichhardt v Marrickville: 5pm Saturday 7 May at Lambert Park
Feature image credit: Photographed with Love
