Reigning Westfield W-League Champions Sydney FC sent an ominous warning to their opponents on the opening day of the 2010/11 season with a dominant 4-2 win over the Brisbane Roar at Ballymore Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Reigning Westfield W-League Champions Sydney FC sent an ominous warning to their opponents on the opening day of the 2010/11 season with a dominant 4-2 win over the Brisbane Roar at Ballymore Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
In a replay of last year-s Grand Final, Alen Stajcic-s side jumped from the blocks to take the lead in just the sixth minute and while the Roar rallied to level the scores, the defending champions class soon shone through as they found the back of the net three more times to claim the three points.
The win extends Sydney FC-s undefeated streak to 12 W-League matches. Their last loss was in the first round of last year-s competition on Monday 5 October 2009.
Most pleasing was the overall performance which featured crisp passing, confidence over the ball and good communication. Captain Heather Garriock, who bagged a brace, was simply a standout in her first game for some months while the performance of 15-year-old defender Caitlin Foord had tongues wagging.
Making the win ever more enjoyable for the Sky Blues is the fact they were without 2009 Player of the Year Servet Uzunlar and fellow Matilda Sarah Walsh.
Scores were level after 33 minutes but a brilliant goal to new Sky Blues recruit Renee Rollason, who got onto the end of a long ball and brought the ball down to the ground before putting her left foot strike perfectly past the Roar keeper to restore the Sky Blues advantage.
Three minutes later Matildas star Kyah Simon finished off a superb team lead up to give Sydney FC complete control of the game. Simon got onto the end of a brilliant ball from Kylie Ledbrook with the midfielder-s pass splitting two Roar defenders with Simon calmly slotting her right foot strike past the Roar keeper.
Sydney FC would take that 3-1 lead into halftime.
Soon after the break, the Roar-s Lana Harch scored a contender for goal of the year with a 35-yard bomb that breathed new life into the game but normality soon reigned when Garriock capped off her player of the match performance when she slid her left foot strike past the Brisbane keeper at the neat post to make it 4-2 in the 54th minute.
Sydney continued to push for more goals in sweltering conditions and while they didn-t score again, they were always in control. Stajcic will not only be pleased by the performance in attack but the brilliant games of Danielle Brogan and Foord.
It was Brogan-s first W-League appearance since recovering from a knee reconstruction and she was in complete control while Foord played like a seasoned veteran on the right hand side of defence.
The Sky Blues take on the Melbourne Victory at Latrobe City Stadium next Saturday before hosting their first home game of the season – a clash with Adelaide United at WIN Stadium in Wollongong on Saturday 20 November (3pm kick-off).
Match Detail:
Brisbane Roar Women (Tameka Butt 14-)
Sydney FC Women (Heather Garriock 6-, 54-, Renee Rollason 33-, Kyah Simon 36-)
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane
Referee: Jacqui Melksham
Crowd: 1,093
Brisbane Roar Women line-up: 1. Casey DUMONT (gk), 2. Laura ALLEWAY, 3. Karla REUTER, 4. Clare POLKINGHORNE (c), 5. Brooke SPENCE (14. Amy CHAPMAN 39-), 6. Joanne BURGESS (17. Emily GIELNIK 45-), 7. Kim CARROLL, 8. Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, 10. Lana HARCH, 11. Aivi LUIK, 13. Tameka BUTT (9. Alicia FOOTE 72-)
Substitutes Not Used: 20. Kate STEWART
Yellow Cards: Amy CHAPMAN 89-
Red Cards: Nil
Sydney FC Women line-up: 1. Dimi POULOS (gk), 2. Teresa POLIAS, 3. Danielle BROGAN, 7. Heather GARRIOCK (c) (13. Catherine CANULLI 62-), 8. Renee ROLLASON (16. Linda O-NEILL 89-), 9. Caitlin FOORD, 10. Kylie LEDBROOK, 11. Lydia VANDENBERGH, 15. Teigan ALLEN, 17. Kyah SIMON, 19. Leena KHAMIS (4. Alesha CLIFFORD 76-)
Substitutes Not Used: 20. Erika HERD (gk)
Yellow Cards: Danielle BROGAN 76-, Teigan ALLEN 90-
Red Cards: Nil
