QUARRIERS DIG OUT CRUCIAL WIN OVER WARILLA
Kiama boosted their Women’s Division 1 finals hopes with a solid 3-0 win away to Warilla in Thursday night’s round five catch-up match.
The Quarriers took an early lead through a Helen Miletich penalty before Ashleigh Matthews and Emma-Kate Dewhurst finished off corners to seal the match during the second half.
Kiama controlled proceedings early on but it was the Wanderers who had the first big chance with eight minutes played. A counter led by Irene-Maree Kyriacou ended with Emma Gomez getting a shot away but she was unable to direct it either side of goalkeeper Kylie Layland.
The opening goal came from the penalty spot after Warilla goalkeeper Erin Martin was judged to have impeded an attacker’s run. Miletich stepped up to the mark and while Martin went the right way, she was unable to stop the strike into the bottom left corner.
Warilla had a chance to equalise straight after with Leyla Meharg flashing a shot across goal while the only other big opportunity of the first half came at the other end when Tahlia Burke teed up Dewhurst on the edge of the area but she blasted the shot over the bar.
The home side came close to levelling the match a couple of minutes into the second half when former Quarrier Kristina Janeska rattled the post from 25 metres out but just 10 minutes later, Kiama had their second when Emma Waine knocked in a corner which was met by the head of Matthews near the edge of the six-yard box.
Matthews hit the crossbar a few minutes later before Allira Giles-Gregory smacked the follow up wide while the Wanderers squandered another chance at the other end when Gomez broke into the left of the area before knocking her effort across the goal.
Kiama signed off on the three points with four minutes remaining when Miletich found Dewhurst off a corner with the latter nodding the ball home.
The win moves Kiama to within a win of the top four ahead of a match against Fernhill at Ray Robinson Field on Sunday.
Quarriers coach Umberto Sorrentino said he felt his side had to leave King Mickey Park with the win, adding that Kiama can’t take their eye off the ball even against the bottom-placed Foxes.
“It was definitely a must-win,” Sorrentino said.
“We were just outside the top four so to keep in touch with them it was about coming here and getting nothing less than three points really.
“We knew Warilla would be tough because they have some players who I’ve coached before and also they are past Kiama players as well so when you have got players like that they are always going to play hard against their old coach and team.
“You can’t go into a match saying we’re going to beat Fernhill. Albion Park only beat them 2-1 [last weekend], we don’t know what happened on the day, it doesn’t matter, but it was a close game.”
As for Warilla, the defeat leaves them stuck in seventh with a tough test away to Albion Park in round eight on Sunday.
Warilla 0
Kiama 3 (Helen Miletich 17’, Ashleigh Matthews 57’, Emma-Kate Dewhurst 86’)
Warilla: 10. CARBONE Emily, 12. CARBONE Katie, 2. DEIGHTON Chloe, 13. GIRARDOT Madison-Rose, 7. GOMEZ Emma, 8. GONZALEZ Kari, 9. JANESKA Kristina, 5. KOSTOVSKI Mikayla, 11. KYRIACOU Irene-Maree, 1. MARTIN Erin, 14. MEHARG Leyla, 6. NOTARIANNI Olivia, 4. VIDELA Christina
Kiama: 7. ABBOTT Jessie, 3. BURKE Tahlia, 6. DEWHURST Emma-Kate, 13. FRENCH Katie, 15. GILES-GREGORY Allira, 8. GLYDE Louisa, 10. LAYLAND Alyssa, 1. LAYLAND Kylie, 11. MATTHEWS Ashleigh, 4. MAXWELL Jessica, 9. MILETICH Helen, 5. PAYNE Breanna, 12. PERKISS Brooke, 14. PETERSON Nerissa, 2. WAINE Emma
Date: 27 August 2020
Venue: King Mickey Park
Referee: Tom Ahling
Report by Dylan Arvela, on Twitter @dylanarvela
Photos by Greg Rigby Sports-Photos
