Round 15 was cut a short with a wash out on Friday night, but there was still plenty of action that had significant implications for the teams chasing finals football. A small gap has once again opened up between the two halves of the table but the chasing pack will not go quietly. With six games left to play things are well and truly heating up as we head into Round 16.
Calder United can do no wrong at the moment. Sitting pretty at the summit of Victorian football, even the wash out of their fixture against Box Hill last Friday couldn’t dampen their spirits for long, as on Tuesday they booked their place in the Nike FC Cup final. The defending champions edging out Bulleen 1-0 thanks to a terrific strike from Melissa Taranto.
Still holding a two point gap over Heidelberg at the top, and with a game in hand, the league leaders welcome FV Emerging to town.
The young guns of FV Emerging climbed into the top four back in round 12, but a challenging few weeks has seen them not register a point since. Defeat to Bayside United two weeks ago followed by a 4-1 loss to Alamein on Saturday has left Emerging five points adrift in fifth.
With six games to go there is still plenty of time to catch Alamein, but with South Melbourne’s recent resurgence the race for the top four is well and truly alive.
FV Emerging's opponents Calder have been imperious in 2022. Having lost once all year, they have conceded just four goals in all competitions, whilst converting 55 of their own across 18 games.
Equally as impressive is the way the scoring has been shared around. Adriana Taranto, Raquel Deralas and Stacey Papadopoulos all have five league goals to their name this season, while Melissa Taranto has five in the cup.
It’s a tall task for anyone to beat the Calder juggernaut at the moment, but FV Emerging have experience upsetting in form opponents this season. Back in Round 10 they shocked Heidelberg United, winning 3-2 at home and knocking the Bergers off the top.
Can they do the same on Saturday afternoon?
After a lean run in the middle portion of the season, Alamein have found some form again in recent weeks. A narrow loss to league leaders Calder United two weeks ago was sandwiched by commanding victories against Bayside and FV Emerging.
Back in the top four and with a five points of breathing space above fifth, this weekend they travel to Olympic Village to take on Heidelberg United.
The Bergers were shocked last Tuesday when South Melbourne came from 2-0 down to knock them out of the Nike FC Cup. That result was quickly put behind them, however, as they returned to winning ways on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Bayside.
Despite the shock cup loss, Heidelberg’s league form has been solid of late. Since they lost to top of the table Calder in Round 11, the Bergers haven’t dropped a point. They have kept pace with the league leaders and currently sit just two points behind them in the table, albeit having played an extra game.
Steph Galea and Danielle Wise netted a goal each on the weekend to further extend their lead at the top of the individual scoring table. The pair sit one and two on the table with Galea in first with 14 and Wise second with 11.
As for Alamein, they will be out for revenge after their heart breaking loss to the Bergers last time round. In Round 9, Kat Smith’s side held onto a 1-0 lead until the 88th minute, but lost when Danielle Wise scored the winner with virtually the last kick of the game.
Elena Vatcky has three in her last three outings and is her side’s top scorer this season with five. The Alamein captain has played just 11 of their 15 matches in the league this season and will important down the stretch.
Alamein come into this tie with momentum, and should they get a result it would go a long way in solidifying their place in the NPLW finals.
A fortnight ago, Bayside United earnt their first three points of the season with a 2-0 win over FV Emerging. They were unable to make it two on the bounce, however, as they went down 2-0 to Heidelberg last weekend.
Still sitting bottom of the table with five points, the fight to survive in the top flight is getting tougher every week. This week they welcome South Melbourne to Kingston Heath, the side who hold a 10 point gap over them in seventh.
After parting ways with their coach Sam Young a fortnight ago, South have looked a team reborn. An incredible come back from 2-0 down last Tuesday against Heidelberg saw them book a place in the Nike FC Cup final. They followed that up in the league with a resounding 3-0 upset victory over third placed Bulleen.
Janna Lawson appears to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the coaching change, as she has three goals and an assist in all competitions since interim coach George Georgiadis took the reins. Lawson now has 17 goals in all competitions this season and is starting to roll at the perfect time for South to make a finals push.
Goals have been hard to come by for Bayside this year, with their 12 conversions the lowest tally in the league this season. Julia Budiongo has contributed a third of those with her tally of four, and will likely be the focal point again this weekend as her side look to close the gap on South.
Should United lose, however, the prospect of relegation becomes a very real one as next week another loss could seal their fate.
It’s been a difficult week for the Bulleen Lions. After being upset by a rejuvenated South Melbourne side on Saturday, they were then knocked out of the Nike FC Cup by Calder United on Tuesday.
The 1-0 loss in the cup means that the Lions have now failed to score in their last three games in all competitions. The lean run has seen fourth placed Alamein draw level on points with Bulleen, with goal difference all that now separates the sides.
This Sunday they welcome Box Hill United to the Veneto Club as they look to avoid being dragged into a scrap for top four.
Due to the wash out last Friday night, Box Hill’s last match was their 4-2 victory over South Melbourne in Round 14. That result snapped a three game losing streak and kept their finals hopes alive. Currently a point behind fifth placed FV Emerging and two games back from Alamein and their hosts Bulleen, Box Hill still have their work cut out for them if they are to earn a finals berth.
Anais Josefski hit a brace in the win over South to take her tally to five for the season. Josefski sits equal fourth in the individual scoring table but her side have struggled to find the back of the net in 2022. Their tally of 18 the second lowest in the top flight.
However, of the teams in the bottom half, they boast the stoutest defence and have conceded only two more than the Lions in the league this year.
It comes as hardly a surprise then that when the two sides last faced off the spoils were shared in a cagey 1-1 draw.
The last time Bulleen found the back of the net in Round 12, Alana Jancevski was at the double. The Lions top scorer this season has six to her name in the league and converted from the spot in the reverse fixture against Box Hill back in Round 9.
The Bulleen faithful will hope she can break the recent deadlock the Lions have encountered and get her side back to winning ways.