FFA National Junior Championships - Girls U-13 Day 3

A full match-by-match account of Day 3 of the 2011 FFA National Junior Championships for Girls U-13

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Game 26: All-Stars 0 National Champions: NSW Metro 0 At the end of a long tournament the exhibition match between the National Champions, NSW Metro, and the FFA All-Stars ended in a 0-0 draw in front of a large crowd gathered in the grandstand. With light drizzle falling throughout the match the surface picked up pace and, as such, both teams were forced to adjust to the quicker ball. Understandably, given that they had only been selected less than an hour previously, it took the All-Star team quite some time to come to terms with each other and thus Metro dominated most of the play. The match was devoid of chances in the first half but Metro almost took the lead at the beginning of the second half. A brilliantly flighted corner by Ruby Jackson was met by the head of Natasha Prior at the near post but the bal flashed just wide. The closet the All-Stars came was via a long-range effort from Giorgia Contos, who was outstanding throughout, the South Australian firing over the bar from distance after a slick lay-off by Erin Holder. Metro should have won the match at the death but Demi Koulizakis shot over the bar from inside the six-yard box after a Georgia Plessas strike had been parried into her path. But a draw was probably the best ending to a highly entertaining three-days of action.

All-Stars: 1. Hannah Southwell (Northern NSW) (gk) (16. Jamie Brown (Victoria Metro) (gk) 21-), 4. Steffi Nadilo (Western Australia) (6. Corrine Krupa (Northern NSW) 33-), 6. Corrine Krupa (Northern NSW) (2. Jaimee Williams (Victoria Country) 16-), 7. Ambrosia Malone (Queensland), 8. Lisa Cochrane (Northern NSW) (20. Emily Condon (South Australia) 33-), 9. Edith Fordyce-Croker (Victoria Metro), 10. Giorgia Contos (South Australia) (8. Lisa Cochrane (Northern NSW) 39-), 13. Alexandra Chidiac (South Australia) (18. Erin Holder (NSW Country) 16-), 14. Jazmin Gorrie (Tasmania) (12. Chloe Rootes (Northern NSW) 16-), 19. Nickoletta Flannery (ACT) (14. Jazmin Gorrie (Tasmania) 33-), 20. Emily Condon (South Australia) (17. Eleni Fakos (Victoria Metro) 16-, 13. Alexandra Chidiac (South Australia) 33-)

National Champions - NSW Metro: 16. Maddison Sullivan (gk) (1. Melati Abdullah (gk) 25-), 3. Kirsten Davis, 4. Annie Halls (2. Jacqueline Anyon-Smith 21-), 5. Ruby Jackson, 6. Rebecca Johnson, 7. Demi Koulizakis, 8. Lucy Mackie, 11. Shania-Rose Pourrashidi (10. Georgia Plessas 11-), 12. Erin Pridmore, 14. Hannah Voloder, 15. Shannon Willcox (13. Natasha Prior 14-)

Match Officials: Lara Smith (referee), Louise Farrell, Chrissy Kokotatsios, Joanna Charaktis (4th Official)

POOL A

Pos

Team

P

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

PTS

1

NSW Metro

4

3

1

0

8

1

+7

10

2

Northern NSW

4

1

2

1

3

3

0

5

3

Victoria Metro

4

1

1

2

4

7

-3

4

4

ACT

4

1

1

2

2

5

-3

4

5

South Australia

4

0

3

1

3

4

-1

3

POOL B

Pos

Team

P

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

PTS

1

Queensland

4

4

0

0

7

1

+6

12

2

NSW Country

4

3

0

1

11

2

+9

9

3

Western Australia

4

2

0

2

3

5

-2

6

4

Victoria Country

4

0

1

3

1

7

-6

1

5

Tasmania

4

0

1

3

2

9

-7

1

POOL A: Game 21: NSW Metro 1 (Shannon Willcox 33-) Northern NSW 1 (Sophie McConnachie 16-) The opening match of Day Three of the FFA National Junior Championships in Canberra resulted in NSW Metro cementing their place as National Champions by gaining a point in a 1-1 draw with Northern NSW. Metro, who were crowned Champions yesterday after other results went their way, were hoping to end with a perfect four from four record in the pool but met with stubborn resistance from a game Northern NSW outfit who looked distinctly dangerous in the break with Claire Wheeler and Courtney Fullbrook prominent. As it was though Northern took the lead somewhat against the run of play in the first half. After Metro-s Georgia Plessas had seen her shot saved by Hannah Southwell, Northern broke and were rewarded for a incisive break when Sophie McConnachie slotted home a well-taken goal. Trailing 1-0 at the interval Metro showed true class to respond and deservedly levelled when Shannon Willcox flicked home a teasing cross at the near post. Northern almost stole the points with the last kick of the game but Fullbrook saw her firm shot well blocked by replacement goalkeeper Melati Abdullah.

POOL A: Game 23: South Australia 2 (Claudia Jenkins 11-, Emily Condon 38-) Victoria Metro 2 (Emily Harbis 17-, Annalyse Vamvalis 33-) In what transpired as one of the most entertaining matches of the day South Australia and Victoria Metro entertained the crowd on a cold day in the nation-s capital fighting out an end-to-end match that ended up at 2-2. After an early goal for South Australia, converted by Claire De Palma, was rightly chalked out for offside the South Australians did take the lead thanks to a long-range effort from Claudia Jenkins. The midfielder rifled her 30 metre shot over the head of Srbahat Rexhep for a quite brilliant goal. Victoria Metro responded well though and Emily Harbis hammered in the equaliser after a neat lay-of by Eleni Fakos, one of the stars of the competition. This topsy-turvy match swung in favour of Victoria Metro midway through the second half when Annalyse Vamvalis poached a goal to put the Victorians in front. South Australia was not to be denied though and bagged an equaliser for a share of the points through a spectacular strike. Emily Condon advanced on goal and lifted her shot over the despairing Metro custodian for 2-2. A late penalty appeal by South Australia for handball was waved aside bringing this exciting match to its conclusion.

POOL B: Game 24: Western Australia 0 Queensland 1 (Gabrielle Wheeler 26-) Queensland got the point they needed to win Pool B of the FFA National Junior Championships ahead of NSW Country winning their clash with Western Australia 1-0 thanks to a stunning goal from Gabrielle Wheeler. The decisive moment arrived midway through the second half with Queensland striking a goal worthy of winning the section. A cross from the left flank was partially cleared to the just outside the penalty area to where Wheeler was lurking, the blonde haired Queenslander sending a first-time shot on the half-volley flying high into the Western Australian net for a wonderful goal. Once they obtained the critical breakthrough Queensland were happy to keep possession and play their way out of trouble. Western Australia continued to rely on the pace of their front pairing, playing some penetrative through-balls that tested the alertness of the Maroons defence, with Anna Tokunaga standing tall at the back amongst her peers. Maddison Schofield continued to prompt for Western Australia from deep, but to avail, as Queensland held on to claim the title of Pool B champions.

POOL B: Game 25: Victoria Country 0 Tasmania 0 The final match of the pool stages at the FFA National Junior Championships saw a meeting of two teams that had yet to register a point as Victoria Country and Tasmania locked horns in a battle of attrition on the synthetic field at Hawker Football Centre with the match ending 0-0. With nothing to lose both sides went at each other from the off with the play moving from end-to-end in rapid fashion and only some last ditch defending keeping the match scoreless. Olivia Cornall went closest for Victoria Country seeing her late first-half shot blocked. Tasmania flyer Jazmin Gorrie was a willing outlet for her team chasing any lost cause in an attempt to pressurise the Victoria Country defence in which the orange-boot clad Jaimee Williams was a constant vocal presence. In truth neither goalkeeper was overly troubled with much of the match being played in the midfield where the physical prowess of Hannah Purton was equally matched by Country-s Janna Lawson. However, despite much effort from both squads, neither could make the breakthrough and the honours, perhaps fittingly, were shared.

NON-COMPETITIVE FIXTURE: Game 22: ACT 0 NSW Country 2 (Wrylka Colburn 4-, 8-) The final non-competitive cross-pool match of the championships resulted in a NSW Country victory over the home-town ACT on a brisk morning at Hawker Football Centre in Canberra. The Pool B team seemed quicker to almost every ball early on as the ACT struggled to get to grips with the tempo of the fixture. It was therefore little surprise when Country took the lead. A surging run down the right flank by Eliza Roth ended with the ball cut back to striker Wrylka Colburn who duly deposited the ball into the back of the net from close range. Before the ACT could recover their composure Country had scored again. A driven cross from a similar position was palmed away by ACT ‘keeper Jillian Scott but only into the path of Colburn who doubled her, and her team-s tally, by bundling the ball over the line from inside the six-yard box. The second half produced a much more even affair with the home favourites finally getting their passing game going with Leah Carnegie and Olivia Fogarty a the forefront, but they were unable to find their way through a firm NSW defence with Fogarty-s effort well saved by Jada Mathyssen-Whyman the closest the ACT came.