Nike F.C. Cup Quarter Final Preview 

Things are getting quite tense in the Nike FC Cup. 

Supported by Nike, whose support and investment continues to foster the growth of women's football in the state, Victoria's women’s knockout Cup will cut its numbers from eight to four in the coming weeks; defending champions Calder United and seven assorted challengers, upstarts and dreamers battling it out for a berth in the semifinals.

The first game of these quarter-final encounters was set to occur this Wednesday, however South Melbourne's clash against Casey Comets was deferred a for week. 

Hellas enters the matchup in red hot form and sitting top of the tree in Victorian women’s football; five points clear atop NPLW Victoria, winner of two more games than any other side and scorer of at least 11 more goals than their nearest foes. On Saturday afternoon, powered by fringe Matilda Melina Ayres, they dispatched in-form rivals Heidelberg United 7-0 at Lakeside Stadium

And now on Wednesday, Coach Sam Young’s side has a chance to shore up one of the more spotty areas on their club’s otherwise glistening resume.  

Nike FC Cup


As despite significant success in the state’s Victorian (champions in 2011, 2014, and 2015) and National (Champions in 2017, Premiers in 2017 and 2018) Premier League, South has tasted very little in the way of Cup joy in Victorian women’s football’s modern era -- runners up honours in the State Knockout Cup in 2013 and 2014 their high watermark. 

In 2021, they have thus far been able to avoid fellow NPLW opposition in their quest to right this wrong; dispatching Ringwood City 3-0 and Moreland Zebras 4-1 in their opening two games. 

Their Cranbourne-based foes, however, will be able to take heart from having already knocked out one NPLW side on their way to the quarterfinals -- albeit top-of-the-table South represents a significantly different proposition to the bottom-of-the-table Bayside United outfit they defeated 2-1 thanks to goals from Skylar Munyard and Jenna Chandler. 

Competitors in the inaugural season of the re-booted Victorian Premier Leagues Women's (VPLW) competition -- which will promote two sides into next year’s NPLW -- Casey finds themselves comfortably mid-table heading into Wednesday evening’s contest. 

Defeating Melbourne University 4-0 on Sunday afternoon, Coach Dean Wixon’s side took advantage of South Yarra’s draw with Whitehorse United to move into the fifth position on the VPLW table and snap a run of three games without a win. 

Now on Wednesday, they will now seek to stage what would be one of the biggest upsets in recent years in Victorian women’s football to continue a run that has seen them record the aforementioned win over Bayside United, a 3-1 win over fellow VPLW side Eltham Redbacks and a 6-2 win over State League side Ballarat City. 

Out in Melbourne’s Northwest, Calder United will welcome fellow NPLW side Alamein FC to Keilor Park Recreation reserve seeking to keep their dreams of a historic four-peat of Cup wins alive. 

Their reign stretching across both the Team App and Nike FC Cups, Calder was triumphant in the state’s women’s knockout tournament in 2017, 2018 and 2019 -- that last win part of a historic quadruple winning year. 

Indeed, to go along with their three Cup triumphs, Calder has since its founding in 2016 won two championships (2016 and 2019), premierships (2016 and 2019), and four community shields (2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020). 

Defeating FV Emerging -- who earlier this season they also knocked out of the Nike FC Cup -- 2-0 in a hard fought game on Sunday, coach Marc Torcaso’s side moved into the third position on the NPLW table, eight points back of league-leaders South but possessing the league’s most miserly defence with just eleven goals conceded. 

After downing Emerging 3-0 in their opening Cup fixture in 2021, Calder put Lara United to the sword in their second: taking a 7-0 halftime lead over the State League side before eventually running out easy 17-0 winners. 

Founded in 2015, Alamein is still searching for their first piece of silverware or Cup final appearance; the club’s best result thus far being finals finishes in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019

Led by coach Kat Smith -- who was on the scoresheet as Box Hill United defeated Bundoora United in the first Victorian women’s football’s first Cup final in 2012 -- Alamein recorded a surprise 1-1 draw with Box Hill on Sunday -- missing out on the chance to leapfrog Heidelberg United into fifth-position on the NPL Victoria table. 

Alamein booked its date with Calder by downing State League side Spring Hills SC 4-0 in its first knockout tie back in April, before eliminating familiar NPLW foe Heidelberg 1-0 at their temporary 2021 home of the Knox Regional Football Centre.
Perhaps the best chance of a true quarterfinals cupset will occur 15 minutes drive from Keilor Park as VPLW side Melbourne Knights welcome NPLW outfit Box Hill United to Knights Stadium. 

The historical powers of women’s football in Victoria, Box Hill were winners of the inaugural women’s state knockout Cup -- then known as the Pelada Cup -- in 2012 as well as the VPL championship and premiership -- their eighth and seventh such honours (including the Box Hill Inter days) respectively. 

That glittering year, however, was the last that the club’s celebrated women’s side would taste silverware; downed in the Team App Cup final in 2018 and Nike FC Cup in 2019. 

Though drawing 1-1 with Alamein on Sunday, Box Hill has just one victory to their name so far in the 2021 NPLW season -- a 4-2 win over Bayside United on the opening day of the season -- and sits second bottom of the table with just four points. 

After defeating State League side FC Noble Hurricanes 2-1 in their opening Cup fixture, Pythagoras was forced to hold their nerve and eliminate VPLW side Preston Lions 4-2 on penalties in their last fixture.  

Like Box Hill, Knights was forced to do it the hard way in their last Cup fixture: taken to penalties by State League side Avondale FC before eventually triumphing 5-4 on penalties. Beneficiaries of being drawn as the home side for all of their Cup fixtures, that win was preceded by a 2-0 triumph over Fawkner SC and a walkover in their opening game against Brighton SC. 

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The Knights won a thrilling penalty shootout 5-4 to progress to the quarter finals.

The club’s best chance at glory in 2021 is likely a fairytale Cup run as, unfortunately for Croatia fans, their form in VPLW has been sputtery. 

Defeated by runaway league-leaders Boroondara - Carey Eagles and remaining in ninth place in the ten-team league on Sunday, the women of Somers Street have just a single league win to their names thus far, to go along with two draws and six losses. Their task was made even harder last week with the news that long-time stalwart Mikaela Jurcic had suffered an injury that would rule her out for the rest of the season. 

The only side that sits below Knights on the VPLW table, Melbourne University will have a herculean task awaiting them in the quarterfinals final match-up: travelling to the Veneto Club to take on second-placed NPLW side FC Bulleen Lions. 

Still searching for their first win in VPLW play -- downed 4-0 by Casey Comets over the weekend -- the 2019 Women’s State League 1 champion won their way through to the quarters of the Cup by recording thumping wins over Maccabi FC Caulfield and Watsonia Heights FC in their opening two fixtures.

The side from Princes Park then rode an Eliane Fader brace as they downed Skye United FC 4-0 in the last 16. 

For their foes Bulleen, their 2021 Cup run has a chance to arrest a trend they'd definitely rather not see continue. 

Winners of the Cup in 2014 when goals from Tessa Sernio and Emily Coppock propelled them to a 2-0 win over South Melbourne, the Lionesses of the Veneto Club have lost all bar one of their seven appearances in a final.

Though a standout performance from goalkeeper Emily Shields and a goal from current coach Caitlin Friend lifted them to a 3-1 win over South, again, in the 2018 NPLW Grand Final, Bulleen has lost the 2019 decider to Calder United, lost the 2018 and 2019 Community Shields and in three straight Team App Cup deciders from 2015 to 2017. 

Shrugging off an indifferent start to their season, Bulleen currently sit second on the NPLW Victoria table after going on a run of eight games without defeat and had a comfortable 4-0 win over Bayside United on Sunday evening.

Friend's side defeated South Yarra SC 7-0 in their opening Cup fixture, before setting up their date with Melbourne University by dispatching Geelong Galaxy 6-0.