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21/06/09
United Sink Suburbs For Third Times In Eight Weeks
by Jeremy Ruane
Eastern Suburbs will be hoping they don't have to play Three Kings United again this year, after slumping to a third defeat in eight weeks at the hands of their cross-town rivals.
Having been thumped 5-1 in their National Women's Knockout Cup tie seven days ago, and itching to turn the tables after Three Kings prevailed 4-1 in Northern Premier Women's League action earlier in the season, Suburbs found themselves on the wrong end of a 4-0 scoreline at Madills Farm on June 21 in what was their last game for a month.
In truth, United were comfortable winners of this contest between the third- and second-placed teams, which commenced at a cracking pace, both teams going for it hammer and tongs right from the outset.
Anna Green unleashed a forty-yard range-finder narrowly past Stephanie Puckrin's left-hand post in the eighth minute - the first shot of note in the match, and within sixty seconds, United were in front.
Leah Tagaloa loomed up on the left flank, and darted inside Sandee Hui's challenge before getting the better of Puckrin in a one-on-one situation. Hui, recovering well, got her `keeper out of jail with a recovering tackle, but only succeeded in clearing the ball to Merissa Smith.
From twenty-five yards out, she curled home a beauty, Puckrin desperately unlucky in her attempts to tip the shot over the bar as she flung herself goalwards in a despairing attempt to maintain parity. She got her hand to it, but the shot was too good for her.
Three Kings should have doubled their lead on the quarter-hour. Tagaloa teamed up with Lauren Murray, who brought the outstanding Nadia Pearl into play - she had a terrific game in central midfield, and threaded the needle on this occasion with a peach of a pass to put Rosie White through with just Puckrin to beat. She did so, but directed her shot wide of the far post.
While the visitors had created the better openings in the early stages, Suburbs weren't without their chances, but all too often the accuracy and quality of their execution failed to do justice to their intentions.
A classic example of this was witnessed in the 21st minute. Grace Vincent had been prominent in a previous attack, and was still forward when a wayward clearance found its way to her. She instantly set up Brittany Dudley-Smith to let fly from twenty-five yards, but the youngster mistimed her strike, the ball arcing gracefully into the grateful gloves of Aroon Clansey.
She launched a counter-attack which resulted in Three Kings doubling their lead. Green roamed down the left, but was thwarted by Hui, who was tigerish in the tackle throughout proceedings.
The solidly-performed Tessa Berger swooped on the loose ball and clipped a delightfully weighted pass in behind the defence, who anticipated that Puckrin would gather it comfortably. One factor hadn't been considered - Murray, who stole in on the blindside of the defence and gleefully tucked the ball home past the stranded `keeper.
Suburbs now faced the proverbial mountain-climbing expedition, their hopes of avenging the 5-1 National Knockout Cup defeat of a week ago now hanging in the balance. But Three Kings had the game by the scruff of the neck, and rarely looked like relinquishing their grip.
Four minutes after the second goal, the visitors produced a delightful move, instigated by Murray in the centre circle. Pearl played the ball wide to Smith, who played it on for White.
As Smith dashed inside, Maia Jackman steamed up in support, and worked an opening with White which allowed the 2008 Oceania Women's Player of the Year to pick out Murray with a teasing cross. Under pressure from the retreating Sara Lovitz, she shot straight at Puckrin, and knew full well she should have done better.
Suburbs were denied a stonewall penalty on the half-hour, unsighted referee Michael White unable to give anything despite Green's scything challenge on Rebecca Tegg being heard all round Madills Farm, such was the impact of boot on shinpad.
Why the official never got a signal from his well-placed assistant defies logic! The sight of Tegg lying prone for a good two minutes was similarly frustrating, but she's teak-tough, is Suburbs' captain, and was soon back in the thick of the action, leading by example and driving her team on in an effort to reduce the deficit.
Sadly for the home team, United increased their advantage three minutes before half-time with a candidate for goal of the season. Jackman started the raid, with Pearl and White teaming up to allow Berger to angle a delicious pass inside Hui for Tagaloa, dashing round her, to latch onto.
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 Leah Tagaloa (TKU) and Rebecca Brown (ESubs)
 Nadia Pearl (TKU)
 Rebecca Tegg (ESubs)
 Anna Green (TKU)
  Grace Vincent and Stephanie Puckrin (ESubs)
  Abby Erceg and Merissa Smith (TKU)
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The striker took a quick glance to assess her options, and while Murray and Smith were arriving on cue, a measured pull-back put the ball perfectly into the stride of White. From fifteen yards, she absolutely smashed a first-time screamer into the top left-hand corner of Puckrin's net with such ferocity that the `keeper barely moved - a stunning strike to crown a superb move.
On the stroke of half-time, they nearly scored a fourth. Kristy Hill played the ball to Pearl, who brought Green into play. Her lobbed cross invited Smith to execute a cushioned volley at goal, but she directed it straight at Puckrin, who instantly launched the ball forward.
White gathered the ball, but was instantly caught in possession by Tegg, who stormed forward and played a one-two with Melanie Gooch before powering past all-comers into the penalty area. Tegg stroked the ball past the advancing figure of Clansey, but deserved better fate than to see it creep agonisingly past the far post.
With the game effectively over as a contest, the second half drifted along in comparison with the terrific pace of the first forty-five minutes, but every so often United lifted the tempo as they sought a fourth goal.
Two minutes into the half, Tagaloa intercepted a Puckrin clearance and linked with Jackman and White before presenting Berger with the chance to let fly from thirty yards. While this effort wasn't far away, Green's inswinging corner, three minutes later, came desperately close to increasing the visitors' lead, the ball bouncing untouched through a crowded goalmouth and narrowly past the far post.
Another Green set-piece caused problems in the 54th minute, her quickly taken free-kick releasing White down the right. Her cross should have been routine for Puckrin, but the `keeper inexplicably spilled it, thankfully managing to retrieve the situation by saving at the feet of Hill seconds later.
Erceg had also been up for this attack, and was picked out in acres of room on the left seconds later, as another pearl of a pass from Pearl pierced Suburbs' rearguard. Let's just say the defender's subsequent attempt to deliver a quality cross will not go down as one of her more memorable contributions to the match, although it gave many present a wry chuckle!
Erceg's revenge would be sweet, but before she extracted it, Dudley-Smith stung Clansey's gloves with a rasping twenty-yarder on the hour, and seven minutes later was sent scampering down the left by Vincent. Erceg headed the youngster's cross back to her, but before she had a chance to capitalise, new Three Kings recruit Michele Hogg cleared the danger, albeit to Tegg.
She instantly unleashed a piledriver which struck White square in the chest at point-blank range. While she wobbled briefly, it wasn't long before the United starlet was back in the thick of things.
Just four minutes later, Berger and White linked with Murray, whose delightfully weighted pass wrong-footed Chelsey Wood and sent Pearl steaming through the inside right channel. The midfield general set up White for a shot, but she never got the chance to let fly - Hui hurtled in with a super challenge which thwarted the danger.
Fifteen minutes from time, White set off on a mazy run from just inside Suburbs' half, which saw her accelerate past four opponents before unleashing a fierce drive from the edge of the penalty area. Puckrin produced a stunning save low to her left to keep the second half scoreless.
Three minutes later, Tegg got the better of Berger and set up Vincent for a curling effort which wasn't far away from the top left-hand corner of Clansey's goal. The ball flew narrowly past the same post again nine minutes from time, this time following Tegg's angled header after Dudley-Smith had delivered a corner to the near post.
With the last kick of the game, Three Kings wrapped up a 4-0 victory with the final goal. Green pinged another free-kick towards the target, and it wasn't dealt with by Suburbs' rearguard.
Erceg was lurking in the vicinity of the far post, and when the ball arrived at her feet, she neatly controlled it before poking the ball home to all but confirm United's play-off spot, and leave Suburbs still in charge of their play-off destiny, but anxiously looking over their shoulders at fast-closing Claudelands, who are a point behind with a game in hand.
Suburbs: Puckrin; Hui, Lovitz, Wood, Verdon; McLeod (Tiffen, 57), Vincent, Dudley-Smith, Tegg, Brown; Gooch
Three Kings: Clansey; Jackman (Hogg, 55), Hill, Erceg, Green; Berger, White, Pearl; Smith, Murray, Tagaloa (Wong, 79)
Referee: Michael White
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