The W-League reached the halfway mark of its 2017-18 season this weekend, with Round 7 seeing some thrilling performances and a Pride vs. Pride battle. Elsewhere, Monica made a mark in Spain with two games in five days. Also, Star Wars.
Take a look at the weekend that was:
W-League: Round 7 (Australia)
Sydney FC 3, Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (recap / highlights)
Aubrey Bledsoe and Sydney FC picked up another win in Round 7, downing Western Sydney Wanderers 3-1 at ANZ Stadium. Remy Siemsen put Sydney up with goals in the 21st and 24th minutes before former Pride forward Lisa De Vanna iced the match with a 62nd-minute score. De Vanna stole the ball from Western Sydney’s goalkeeper, with her deflection heading straight into the net. The lone goal against Bledsoe came on a penalty kick, with Ellie Brush finishing to cut Sydney’s lead to one goal at the time.
Melbourne City FC 2, Canberra United 1 (recap / highlights)
Alanna Kennedy, Steph Catley and Melbourne City FC got back into playoff position with a 2-1 win over Toni Pressley and Canberra United on Sunday. Jessica Fishlock (Seattle Reign FC) scored her first of two goals on the day with a deadly 25-yard strike in the 20th minute. Canberra’s Michelle Heyman leveled the score just three minutes later, picking off a pass from goalkeeper Lydia Williams (Seattle Reign FC) just feet from the goal before putting it home. But Fishlock would come up big again in the second half, powering a shot past Haley Kopmeyer (Seattle Reign FC) in the 80th minute.
Other W-League Results:
Melbourne Victory 4, Adelaide United 0 (recap / highlights)
Newcastle Jets 3, Brisbane Roar 0 (recap / highlights)
Perth Glory: Bye Week
Up Next: Round 8 Fixtures
Sydney FC vs. Canberra United (Fri., Dec. 15 at 1:20 a.m. ET)
Adelaide United vs. Western Sydney (Fri., Dec. 15 at 4 a.m. ET)
Newcastle Jets vs. Perth Glory (Sat., Dec. 16 at 4:15 a.m. ET)
Brisbane Roar vs. Melbourne City FC (Sun., Dec. 17 at 12:30 a.m. ET)
Melbourne Victory: Bye Week
Primera División (Spain)
Atlético Madrid 1, RCD Espanyol 0 (recap / highlights)
Monica proved to be the hero for Atlético Madrid on Wednesday, scoring the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over RCD Espanyol. Monica, who has started each match for Atlético since joining on loan in early November, struck in the 78th minute to break the deadlock. The defender used a quick touch with her left boot, sliding home a pass from Amanda from eight yards out. It was her first goal in the red and white.
Rayo Vallecano 1, Atlético Madrid 0 (recap / highlights)
After a mid-week win, Atlético returned home to host Rayo Vallecano but saw its 12-game unbeaten stream come to an end with a 1-0 loss. It was the first defeat Atlético suffered this season. Atlético had an opportunity to go ahead in the 66th minute but Soni Bermudez’ penalty attempt was stopped by Rayo goalkeeper Alicia. The visitors countered off the stop, scoring in the ensuing play for the 1-0 advantage, which would ultimately go down as the final. Monica played all 90 minutes in the defeat.
Up Next:
Atlético Madrid at RCD Espanyol (Wed., Dec. 6 at 12:30 p.m. ET)
Atlético Madrid vs. Rayo Vallecano (Sat., Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. ET)
Three Good Things:
- Moni is Money: Is there anything better than when a defender scores? Congrats to Monica for getting her first Primera División goal last week, which not only gave her team the win, but showcased the Brazilian’s class with a quick, delicate touch on the ball.
- Tom Travels - Again: Orlando Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni spent some time in Europe a little bit ago but has now headed Down Under, returning to the country he once called home to take in some W-League action. This weekend, Sermanni was in attendance for Bledsoe and Sydney’s match before hopping on a plane to see Kennedy, Catley and Pressley battle it out in Melbourne. Looks like he even had time for a cuppa tea with a familiar face.
- #StarWarsRound: Not sure if you’ve heard but there’s a big movie coming out this weekend. Australia’s male A-League teamed up with the Star Wars franchise for a #StarWarsRound and sister clubs in the W-League got to take part, complete with Storm Troopers leading the procession and meet and greets with BB8. Unfortunately, this promotion took place in a Galaxy far, far away but the force was strong with the merchandise.
