Darebin Falcons Div 2 v South Melbourne Womens FC
FT Score 5 – 1
Sunday 3rd June 1:00pm Kickoff – Away Match
Darebin Falcons produced a stunning form reversal to open their Women’s Division Two North-West account in more ways than one last weekend.
Winless and without a goal this season prior to this clash with South Melbourne, the Falcons suddenly found their shooting boots to deliver a 5-1 victory.
Their cause was helped by the home side taking the field two players short but the way Darebin stroked the ball around with confidence and found space on the small Albert Park pitch was encouraging.
Starting with a full complement of substitutes for one of the few occasions this season, Darebin opted for pace up front and it worked, as South Melbourne’s defence was stretched, creating plenty of space to exploit.
Heather Lambert was the first to benefit, running on to a clever pass from Sina Pankoke and scoring calmly inside the opening 10 minutes.
Niddie Morgan also found the wide open space to her liking and carried on her good form of the previous week with two expert finishes after breaking down the right wing.
South were struggling to mount any meaningful periods of possession and any forward forays were quickly snuffed out by former Matilda Jenny Black.
A fourth goal from Carolyn Monk – making her first start of the season after recovering from injury – gave Darebin a handy buffer that proved timely as South Melbourne’s line-up was restored to 11 players halfway through the first half.
At full strength they proved a much tougher challenge for the Falcons and the sides seemed evenly matched for the remainder of the match, to the extent that they managed a goal apiece – Darebin’s coming through Pankoke about five minutes from time.
Having had so many players out this campaign, Darebin player-coach Nicky Leitch enjoyed the luxury of fielding probably her strongest line-up, and there were plenty of positive signs for the remaining fixtures.
At the final whistle the Falcons jubilantly celebrated what they hope will prove a breakthrough victory and, while it may have come in fortunate circumstances, the change in fortune was not before time this season.
Darebin Falcons Metro v Watsonia Heights SC
FT Score 2 – 1
Sunday 3rd June 3:00pm Kickoff – Away Match
It was a chilly Sunday when Darebin Falcons trooped over to Watsonia ready to take on the team that had beaten them 3-2 in the previous round. The team was in high spirits after a not-so-bad loss the previous week and were ready to get their own back after being beaten by Watsonia on their home ground.
Arriving at the pitch, the Falcons got ready for some skin cleansing with both six yard boxes looking more like mud baths than ultimate football surface.
Watsonia got off to a good start putting pressure on the Falcons early on. With Nyssa in goal, Falcons managed to clear every opportunity, although they were on the defence the majority of the time. It was when the ball was played out wide that Falcons had the space to create opportunities.
A nice ball down the line from an under pressure Anita began the Falcons attack, with Bridge pushing the ball another few meters then managing to get it in front of Ange. The keeper ran out, Ange kept running, and managed to put it past her. Yahoooo! Falcons were 1-0 up at half time.
With some interesting gluten free crocodile lollies and encouraging words from coach Sal and number one fan Sparky, the Falcons were raring to go in the second half.
It wasn’t too long before Irena was presented with an opportunity. She swung and made a brilliant connection, only for the ball to splat in the mud right in front of goal. Sara didn’t hesitate to knock it over the line, Falcons lead 2-0.
However, Watsonia weren’t giving up, coming at Falcons with everything they had. A free kick just outside the box was taken brilliantly, there was nothing Nyssa could do to save Watsonia from scoring their first goal.
Finally the ref blew his whistle and Falcons celebrated like they had won the grand final. Hearing that the fellow team in division two had won convincingly made it a great day for the Falcons. There was some confusion about the tune of the theme song, but hopefully Falcons will have the opportunity to practice it in coming weeks.