Adelaide Comets vs Fulham United
Venue: VALO Football Centre
Date: Friday 10 September, 6:15 PM
Round 18 of WNPL action kicks off tonight at VALO Football Centre with sixth-placed Comets taking on a Fulham outfit who’ve hit a rich vein of form over the past fortnight.
Comets will have been happy to have come away from their fixture against City with a point, especially given their patchy recent form, but had a penalty saved which could’ve proven the difference in a match that finished 0-0.
Fulham almost backed up their win over Uni last weekend with an impressive result in mid-week against Metro, but they were cruelly denied by a late winner that sealed a 2-1 defeat and kept them rooted to the bottom of the table.
Comets are still a chance to play finals in 2021 so they know they’ll have to chalk up wins from now until the season’s end to do so, but Fulham’s objective now is avoiding the dreaded wooden spoon and victory tonight would bring them within two points of tonight’s opponents.
Adelaide Comets line-up: Claudia Jenkins (GK), 3. Chantelle Reed, 4. Emily Gale, 7. Valeria Guajardo (C), 10. Esther M Heywood-smith, 13. Elyse Moon, 14. Pirrie Weeks, 16. Inana Toovey, 19. Hannah Jenkin, 22. Nicole Robertson, 27. Kate Seaton, 28. Kiara O'Sullivan, 31. Joanna Katsabis, 33. Nanako Sasaki, 40. Yuka Sasaki, 46. Clare Davey
Coaches: Andres Obieglo, Joshua Mcloughney, Brian Gale
Team Staff: katerina gatsios, Jade Conlon, Kieran O'Sullivan
Fulham United line-up: 1. Natalie Hayman (GK), 2. Siobhan Eastham, 4. Natasha Vella (C), 5. Olivia Bramley, 6. Josephine Trimboli, 7. Amielia Ebbs, 9. Laura Niejalke, 10. Hannah Doyle, 11. Mia Lundquist, 12. Angela Mills, 13. Hannah Freer, 14. Sarah Hunt, 16. Susan Roberts, 17. Elizabeth Cufari, 18. Sarah Mills, 19. Fiona Worts, 26. Francesca Queale (GK)
Coaches: Ayoub Hassine, Ali Ali, Masoud Teymouri, John RUSSELL
Team Staff: Adam Mortimer, Massimo Primaro, Maggie Smith, Yacine Grar
Adelaide University vs Football SA NTC
Venue: VALO Football Centre
Date: Friday 10 September, 8:15 PM
The second of tonight’s doubleheader is another bottom-half battle, with both Uni and NTC having plenty on the line entering the home stretch of the season.
Uni’s comfortable buffer on bottom of the table Fulham has evaporated in recent weeks, with their 3-1 defeat to their nearest opponents cutting their advantage on eighth to just two points with plenty of football left to play.
NTC earned a big point against first-placed West last weekend, as they came from behind to snatch a 2-2 draw thanks to a 92nd-minute equaliser by Abby Middleton, who turned home a loose ball from a corner to keep her side in touch with the top four.
Uni will move ahead of Comets on goal difference if they win their game in hand, while NTC now must keep winning and hope to capitalise on a Metro slip up if they’re to play finals football this season.
Adelaide University line-up: 2. Elle Pirintzis, 3. Gemma MacFarlane, 4. Mabel Day, 5. Sasha Coorey, 6. Alysia Panagakos, 7. Velvet Klass, 8. Stella Rigon, 10. Georgia Iannella (C), 11. Ellie Sparrow, 12. Georgia Box, 16. Milano Venter, 18. Bethany Harms, 20. Aimee Benton (GK), 21. Sophie Burke, 22. Briarna Hamersley, 23. Hayley Needs, 25. Tahlia Curnow, 27. Madaleine Box, 32. Eleni Vosnakis, 33. Alana Lanuzza, 39. Elisa Karas (GK), 41. Deva Kljajic, 77. Margarita Fitzharris
Coaches: Kosta Jaric, Danyon Loud, Paul Peilschmidt
Team Staff: Giorgio Profiris, Luke Gill, Mark Bosio, Ebony Charles, Daniella Boccaccio, Bodi Love
Football SA NTC line-up: 1. ELYSHIA OGSTON (GK), 2. Abbey Burns, 4. Zoe Tolland, 5. Katie Bowler, 6. Ella Tonkin (C), 8. Nicola Scalzi, 9. Anastasia Willoughby, 12. Libby Davy (GK), 13. Lily Barber, 14. Ella Smith, 15. Lily Di Cola, 16. Madeleine Wright, 17. Abby Middleton, 23. Erin Kontoutsikos, 24. Victoria Costanzo, 34. Claire Scarpin
Coaches: Michele Lastella, Mark Lobianco, Michael Moularas, Anthony Breaden
Team Staff: Sharee Mcnamara, Jason Collins
Adelaide City vs Metro United
Venue: Adelaide City Park
Date: Saturday 11 September, 5:15 PM
What looked like an ordinary fixture a few weeks ago now has extra significance, with last season’s grand finalist separated by just two points in third and fourth respectively.
City failed to win for the fourth successive match last week, and perhaps were fortunate to come away with a point after keeper Kendall Jenner saved a second-half penalty, as they were held to a goalless draw by Comets.
Metro managed to snatch a 2-1 win over Fulham in mid-week thanks to Rochelle Draper’s speculative first-time strike from 30 yards that sailed up high and remarkably sneaked under the crossbar in the 88th minute.
Three points the way of City would keep their faint top two hopes alive, while a Metro victory would see them leapfrog tomorrow night’s opponents into third.
Adelaide City line-up: 1. Kendall Jenner (GK), 4. Daniela Di Bartolo, 5. Alyce Macauley, 7. Tiarn Powell, 8. Alanah Ursino, 10. Chelsie Dawber, 11. Isabel Hodgson, 13. Sophie Leszczynski, 14. Chrissie Zikos, 15. Bianca Gray (C), 16. Isobel Dahlen-Flight, 18. Alana Fitzsimmons, 19. Shae Blackwood, 20. Abbey Lucas (GK), 23. Natalie Frantzis, 28. Anastasia Nuttall
Coaches: Jamie Dunning, Nicholas Whiteside
Team Staff: Seymour Di Bartolo, Alexander Tan
Metro United WFC line-up: 1. Melanie Comyns (GK), 3. Emma Cotgrove, 4. Talia Bilardo, 6. Laura Stockdale, 7. Millie Scott, 9. Roxanne Dodd, 11. Lauren Steer, 12. Rochelle Draper, 13. Vanessa Reed (C), 14. Annie Green, 15. Mirella Scalzi, 18. Isabella Scalzi, 20. Chanel Todino, 26. Michaela Hadaj, 27. Amber-May Smith, 29. Jessica Signoriello, 99. Olivia Bunge (GK)
Coaches: Antonio Scalzi, Brenton Ellul, Emilio Librandi
Team Staff: Terry Kyriacou, Andreas Zacharia
West Adelaide vs Salisbury Inter
Venue: TK Shutter Reserve
Date: Saturday 11 September 5:15 PM
The second of tomorrow night’s clashes is undoubtedly the match of the round, as the league’s two most dominant sides go head-to-head under lights at TK Shutter Reserve.
Nicole Tilley’s thunderous strike into the near top corner from Zoe Haralampopoulos’ deep, floating through ball wasn’t enough to earn all three points for West, as they were held to a 2-2 draw with NTC after conceding a 92nd-minute equaliser.
Inter suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to a rejuvenated Metro last time out, marking only their second of 2021 in all competitions, as they missed out on a chance to reduce their deficit on top spot to three points with a game in hand.
West have a chance to open up an almost unassailable lead at the top if they win tomorrow night, but Inter will still have the chance to bank another three points with a game in hand and snatch top spot should they claim victory here.
West Adelaide line-up: Khatima Sultani, Georgie Nicola, Nicole Tilley, Erin Murphy, 2. Emily Hodgson, 3. Alison Atkins, 5. Christie Hillyer, 6. Elena Psaroulis, 9. Harriet Burnett, 11. Laura Johns, 13. Maddie DuRieu, 19. Zoe Haralampopoulos, 22. Lucy Adamopoulos, 23. Sarah Willacy (GK), 24. Mawa Sumaoro
Coaches: Tracey Jenkins, Alice Gorman, Alex Macdonald, Leanne Davis
Team Staff: David Lewis, Lachlan Hall
Salisbury Inter line-up: 1. Matilda Comley, 2. Khal Adam Khan, 5. Isabella Kouimtzis, 6. Nicole Calder, 7. Maria Jose Rojas Pino, 8. Emily Condon, 10. Chrissa Pavlomanolakos, 11. Nicola Frazzetto, 12. Chantelle Ryder (C), 14. Emily Heazlewood, 15. Sharni Tansell, 17. Dragana Kljajic, 20. Erin Hood, 23. Anna Pritchard, 24. Mina Nishitani
Coaches: Simon Catanzaro, Brad Donovan, Colin Bajkusev, Arnouluck Sirisay
Team Staff: Tamara Simeoni, Shreya Modi, Darran King