Mount Colah Football Club

Mt Colah FC Under 14 Girls Match Report – Round 12

3rd July, Lindfield B at Montview Oval

Score: Drew 2:2

Scorers: Jae, Sas

Player of the Match: Sally

Captain: Jess

Well, it’s Sunday morning once again and its off to Montview Oval to watch the Mount Colah girls play Lindfield B on a decidedly muddy pitch. The last time we played this team it ended in a nil all draw, so we all knew that they could be a tough team to beat. Unfortunately though, we were 3 players down today, with Elyse, Eliza and Ally all unable to make the game, and of the team we did have, a few of the girls were suffering a bit from the cough and colds that seem to be doing the rounds at the moment – a great combination!

However, never ones to let such trivial concerns get them down, the girls readily took to the field. Playing a similar formation to last week’s game (Sas, Moni & Jae up front, Tess as sweeper, Shannon, Jess, Frances and Erin as backs, Rachel and Gabby in the midfield and Sally… well Sally just goes everywhere!), the first 10 minutes or so saw a strong start as the girls pushed forward quickly, intent on showing Lindfield that a few missing players and coughs and sniffles weren’t going to slow them down. Sal put a lovely cross through to Jae in the opening minute which she just tantalisingly failed to connect with, and Moni also had some good plays early on. It certainly looked like Lindfield were pinned back in defence for most of this time as the girls kept the pressure up, but after a while they began to retain some possession to make some inroads back into our half, helped no doubt by the not-so quiet coaching coming from their sidelines.

Twelve minutes into the half, the first goal came – a similar play to our first attempt, with Sally floating a cross across the face of the goal for Jae to receive and volley into the net – another week, another goal for her! That certainly gave the girls some confidence, but ultimately, it also steeled Lindfield’s reserve and made them more determined to equalise… oops! The home team really started to push forward after this point, and once they were in our half, it seemed difficult to get them out again and despite our backs best efforts, one of the Lindfield girls managed to get a close range shot away – a high volley that Karissa just managed to stretch and get a hand to, but it tumbled from her grasp and over the line – scores were level.

After the restart, the Mount Colah girls battled to push forward, with Sally and Gabby both using the ball well through the midfield, and Moni and Jae having further chances, but Lindfiled were starting to find their legs, and despite some great defensive play by Erin, Jess and Shannon, Lindfield’s best striker managed to slip away and hit a great shot that Karissa had no chance of getting to – a lovely goal for Lindfield, but now Mt Colah were 1 goal down – unknown territory for them so far this season. Sal had a shot late in the first period that looked like it could be the equaliser, but the goalie managed to get there in time and keep the ball safe.

Halftime couldn’t come soon enough, and it was amazing how a hefty dose of Vitamin C and a rest revived the girls and stiffened their resolve – they took to the field again fired up and ready to take the game to the opposion and it really showed! With Erin now in midfield and Gabby having a much needed rest, the girls done their best to slog it out. Jae had another close chance in the first few minutes from a corner, but it fell to Sas to put the equaliser home, deciding to take her frustration out on the ball and put it where it belonged – in the back of the net.

If the game was furious before this point, it really stepped up a notch or so now, as the last 10 minutes were played out at both ends to try and secure the winning goal. With the parents up out of their seats, and the exhausted players on both sides chasing the ball all over the field, it was real nail-biting stuff. Sally was everywhere all at once during this time; clearly tired from not having a break, she was still detemined not to let the game get away, and chased posession ceaselessly up to the final whistle. The backs really came into their own during this time too; Tess, Jess, Shannon and Frances playing their hearts out to deny Lindfield the win. Credit must also go to the Mt Colah fan club here – never have I heard them support the girls louder, with lots of cheering and encouragement.

Eventually, the full-time whistle blew; we could all relax and take a breath, and the girls could stop running at last. It certainly was a superb game today, and given the opposition and the fact that we had 3 players out and 2 unwell, the girls really pulled out all the stops and excelled themselves. Another game for our long-lost coach to be proud of!

Trev Bowdidge

Mt Colah FC Under 14 Girls Match Report – Round 11

26th June, West Pymble at Norman Griffiths Park

Score: Won 4:0

Scorers: Moni, Sally, Jae, Sas

Player of the Match: Sas

Captain: Sally

Well it’s Sunday morning again and for the Mt Colah Under 14 girls, this is their first match in 4 weeks due to all the rained–off games and postponements that we’ve had to endure recently. Today the game was at Norman Griffiths Oval in Pymble to play West Pymble. With Coach Paul absent for today’s game, it fell to yours truly to prepare the girls for today’s game, and after the rotations and positions had been sorted out with a bit of help and input from the girls (“… you’re putting me WHERE…??!!”) we were all set to go. A chilly morning was starting to warm up nicely, and with the sun beaming down, the Mount Colah A-Team eagerly took to the field.

Within the first few minutes, it was clearly obvious that the girls had been missing their weekly football fix – straight away they were charging off with the ball and taking the fight to a rather surprised Pymble: Eliza rattled off a shot on goal in the first 50 seconds of the half. That one was saved by the goalie, but just seconds later, Pymble weren’t so lucky as Moni ran forward onto a lovely cross by Eliza and scored her first of the season. 1-0 to the girls inside the first 2 minutes – looks like the break had done them good! Sas also had a chance after play had resumed, again from an Eliza cross, but this time the goalie saw it coming and just beat her to the ball.

Pymble were certainly pinned back in their own half at this point, and the pressure showed no sign of letting up - this time Sally was the playmaker, taking the ball through from midfield, skirting past a Pymble defender and tucking it away in the net for our 2nd, and the girls were only 10 minutes into the game. The restart saw Moni and Tess come off as subs and Jae and Frances take their places on their field, and within a further 3 minutes Jae had proved her worth, sprinting down the left wing to receive and shoot past the goalie for Mt Colah’s third. Poor Paul’s mobile must have been running hot by this point as we all tried to keep him up to date on the ever-increasing scoreline.

The rest of the half saw the girls keep the pressure up, keeping the home side on the back foot as Jae, Moni, Eliza, Sal and Rachel kept threatening, the latter two having a kickfest in the goalmouth to try and secure a 4th goal just before halftime. On this occasion though, Pymble managed to secure the ball safely. However, we certainly had the possession, and Rachel was having a great game playing up through the midfield. As the whistle blew for the end of the first period, the girls left the field with a good 3-0 cushion to build on.

The second half saw Shannon in goal for us and Karissa stretching her legs playing up forward on the right wing. As per the first half, the girls wasted no time in getting down to business, despite Pymble’s best efforts to retain possession and keep them at bay. Saskia and Eliza were teaming up well today and they nearly had another goal between them in the early minutes, as did Sally and Eliza just after with a lovely 1-2 play on the right wing. The girls were certainly getting their share of the ball, that’s for sure. Pymble did have some breaks in the 2nd half but they didn’t get very far before Frances chased them down or Tess cleared the ball at the back, rushing to every opportunity when needed and booting the ball back up through the midfield.

Finally though, after many repeated attempts by the girls up front, the 4th goal came, and it was from Sas, who after 4 or 5 shots throughout the game finally got the goods past the goalie and into the back of the net to make it 4-0. Moments after this, Sally was bought down just outside the area, and we were hoping the resulting free kick would make it 5, but it had a bit too much on it and went over the bar. West Pymble still didn’t give up though, and actually made a few runs in the last 10 minutes or so as our players began to tire, but Tess, Frances and Erin took care of things nicely and kept the attacks at bay, although Shannon did have one shot to save, so she wasn’t entirely without some goalkeeping action!

As with all good things that must come to an end, the final whistle blew and the happy Mt Colah girls left the field with a clutch of 4 great goals and a clean sheet. Player of the Match was hard to decide today, as there were so many standouts amongst the players; Moni, Tess, Eliza, Sally, Rachel and Sas all had an excellent game, but eventually it went to Sas for her improved effort in front of goal and many touches and assists. The girls made a special effort to perform well today for their absent coach, and they certainly pulled it off, playing a game that would have made Paul proud – well done!

Trev Bowdidge

Game 7, 29 May 2011 -- Girls U14 v Northbridge A

Foxglove Oval

Player of the Match – Karissa

So once again Sunday arrives, and this week it was a real top of the table clash. Forget Manchester United v Chelsea, this was the really big game of the year – Mt Colah v Northbridge at home at Foxglove, with the winners hopefully going to the top of the league table. The weather was looking a bit ominous today though, with large grey clouds overhead, but the rain seemed to be holding off for the moment. Jess was captain today, and with a full team present and raring to go, the girls took to the field.

Mt Colah quickly gained some early possession in the first half with Eliza as usual pushing strongly down the wing and creating pressure, making several runs on goal within the first five minutes off some strong passing up from Rachael and Sally. One run in particular left Eliza 1 on 1 with the goalie until three Northbridge defenders appeared and gave chase to close her down. Nice to see that it took 3 of them to stop her though!

Northbridge did manage to get a few passes forward through the midfield after a while but Frances did an excellent job of tracking back and clearing the ball when needed. One such clearance led to the ball being played out by Northbridge and the resulting throw-in from Sally was a long powerful one that Gabby relayed into the box where Eliza turned on the spot and smashed it into the back of the net – no chance of the poor Northbridge goalie getting to that one! 1-0 to Mt Colah and the game was only 8 minutes old. Sally and Eliza carried on the good work right through the first half, with Eliza making another run on goal from the former’s pass, this time turning brilliantly inside a Northbridge defender but she ran out of time to get the shot away, unlike Jess who, minutes later, had a lovely shot from the right wing go just wide of the post – a fine example of good play from our captain.

Karissa had a few saves to make during this period, but was never really troubled too much until Northbridge came out fighting with all guns blazing in the last 5 minutes of the period, with continued raids into our half. Karissa held firm though and made 2 or 3 saves in quick succession to deny the visitors any chance of a goal, making some important judgements on when to come out of goal and gather quickly when she needed to. Eliza nearly made it 2-0 just before the break when she found herself 1 on 1 with the goalie again, and our hearts were in our mouths as she skipped past her, but the resulting shot was just too tight an angle, and it just skimmed past the post. So to halftime then – 1-0 up and the rain was still holding off – so far so good!

The second half started off briskly, with Sally taking off on a promising run down the left wing, but Northbridge managed to foil her attempt quickly and regroup, getting their passing together and pushing forward towards goal. Eliza ended up tracking back furiously to chase, but Northbridge had the legs, and managed to get the shot away under pressure for their best attempt of the game so far. However, Karissa was on form and dived to save the ball from going in. The following 10 minutes entailed much of the same, as Northbridge tried desperately to equalize, firing numerous shots at goal. Tess did really well to clear a few of these, but even so, Karissa was still forced to pull off another 2 quick saves in succession – definitely her busiest game of the year so far!

Five minutes after this though, it was as if someone had flicked a switch to reverse play, as the Mt Colah girls found their legs again and Northbridge tired. All of a sudden we were back in position again and making inroads into the Northbridge half; Elyse and Sas worked their normal combination up front in the box, with Jae and Moni also enjoying a heap of possession and pressuring the visitor’s goal. Rachael had an exciting run into the box as well but she just ran out of room and couldn’t get the shot away in time. Sas also nearly scored with her first touch back on after being subbed (courtesy of a lovely through ball by Gabby), but it went just wide of the post.

By this time, the game had turned fast and furious, with the Northbridge supporters jumping up and down on the sidelines in their attempt to cheers their girls on to an equaliser. But despite another excellent run on goal by Northbridge, which resulted in a shot winging just past the left-hand post, the Mt Colah girls mainly retained possession, with the final plays of the game going to Sas, Eliza and Gabby who all heaped the pressure on in the penalty box in their efforts to score a second. It didn’t come, but the final whistle did, and the 1-0 scoreline was enough to secure the victory, and a placement of 2nd on the league table with a game still in hand – well done girls!

Trev Bowdidge

Mt Colah U14 A Girls v Lane Cove U14 A Girls

Pottery Green, Lane Cove

Well it’s Sunday morning once again, and this week the Mt Colah girls find themselves at Pottery Green to play Lane Cove for the first time this year. Once again, the sun was shining with no sign of any rain to dampen the pitch or the sprits of the girls, and 10am saw the ref blow the whistle and get the game started, right on time.

Lane Cove came out from the blocks straight after kick off and surged forward, forcing an early save from Karissa, and some quick defending from Erin. Sally was also pressed into service early on, giving some great chases to force the Lane Cove forwards off the ball and regain possession.

Eliza soon became involved in some good plays as usual, making a fast run down the right wing, evading two defenders and sneaking clear to get a shot away, but it just went wide of the post and into the side netting. Gabby managed to intercept the ball from the resulting goal kick and also got a shot away, but alas it went wide too. The play quickly developed into a fast paced game, with end to end action and a lot of possession battles in the midfield, but the girls kept at it despite the rising temperature heating things up a bit.

Ally, Sally and Gabby worked especially well during this period, showing some excellent ball control and evasive footwork. When the ball did make it away from the centre circle, it was always Eliza on the wing that was sprinting forward to send one of her excellent crosses soaring into the box – one of which resulted in a kickfest in the goalmouth as a horde of green and yellow legs tried to get it over the line while the Lane Cove girls desperately tried to keep it out. It was Rach’s right foot that won the battle though, poking the ball over the line for Mt Colah’s first of the day – 1:0!

Lane Cove were straight back into it after the restart, with Shannon forced to cut back and defend furiously but the opposition still managed to get a clear shot at goal and Karissa was forced to pull off another save – today’s game was a little bit busier for her than normal it seemed! For the next 10 minutes or so, Mount Colah were pinned back in their own half trying to keep Lane Cove at bay, but the girls gradually pushed forward as Lane Cove tired, and Moni had a lovely run down the wing only to lose possesion  just in front of goal. This in turn led to a throw-in that Elyse managed to receive and squeeze off a beautiful shot on goal that no-one (least of all the Lane Cove goalie) saw coming – 2:0 to the Mount Colah girls.

The rest of the half carried on just as hard-fought as before, with Lane Cove refusing to give up. Erin was forced to make an important intervention at the back when the home side had a run at goal through the midfield, but Elyse was the saviour yet again five minutes from half time when she made a glorious run up the right wing, cut inside a defender and drove a powerfull left footer straight on target – a cracking goal to make it 3:0 at the break.

No half time lamingtons today for the girls, but heaps of frozen oranges to guzzle while Paul discussed half time tactics, after which the girls took their place back on the pitch. For the second half Shannon was in goal and Karissa was playing on the left wing, proving her worth after just a few minutes as she weaved a run down the field and managed to get a cross away despite being pressured by Lane Cove’s full back. The cross swung in beautifully towards the box and whilst not connecting with any of our forwards, the ball rebounded off a Lane Cove defender into the arms of their goalie who took it across the line. The linesman flagged a goal; Lane Cove were adamant that it hadn’t crossed the line, but the ref took his assistant at his word, and a goal it was – 4:0!

This last goal just seemed to spur the girls on even more - Sally was running riot in the midfield, picking up possession all over the park and laying the passes off to Jae, Moni, Karissa, and Eliza – the former two nearly making it 5:0 when Moni sprinted down the right wing and threaded a lovely pass through to Jae who was also running into the box, but sadly she was just offside, and the flag duly went up. Gabby also had a great shot, but there was too much on it and it sailed skywards over the bar.

Meanwhile, Shannon was doing a grand job at the other end, making a couple of saves and covering the goal well. There was one moment of panic where she had a slight fumble and dropped the ball after a save, but she recovered well and grabbed it securely to make it safe. She was back in action later on in the half too, when she stopped a powerful shot from a Lane Cove forward who had managed to give Jess the slip (not that that was happening very often – Jess put in another tireless display at the back today chasing down the ball). The rest of the team also pulled together really well in the last 10-15 minutes of the half, with Rachael, Frances and Tess all in the mix and enjoying possession. Moni and Eliza also teamed up well for a sneak attack on goal and got a great shot away but it was gathered by the keeper. Lane Cove did really ramp up their play in the last 5 minutes or so as the girls began to tire, but again Shannon proved her worth and made a good job of keeping a clean sheet. The final whistle blew on a 4:0 scoreline and another win for the girls of Green and Gold!

Player Of The Match: Elyse

Paul’s Special Mentions: Karissa and Rachael, who both played excellently today.

Trev Bowdidge