2012 Bankwest Women’s Cup winners Northern Redbacks. Photo: Jamie Judges.
Redbacks make it five straight Cups
Northern Redbacks have won the Bankwest Women’s Cup after defeating rivals Beckham Angels 3-1 in a penalty shootout on Sunday afternoon.
Report by Andrew Ellis
Beckenham came out the stronger of the two sides, with both Lindsey Jobling and Danielle Calautti trying their luck from distance.
A quick attack down the left saw both Kirby Larsen and Calautti running through before the former crossed into the center. Keeper Steph Grant was alive to the danger and cut it out before it could reach the arriving Calautti.
The Redbacks started to come back into the game, and were unlucky not to score when Ash Bager’s header was cleared off the line from a Katie Moth corner.
Alesha Dyer was looking lively for the Redbacks, and almost caught out Angels’ keeper Kristy Teschinsky with a whipped cross that hit the side-netting.
Dyer had another great chance to open the scoring after being picked out by Lindsey Jobling on the edge of the box. Her touch was good, and she managed to get her shot off, but Teschinsky was out quickly to smother.
Beckenham responded by upping their tempo, and almost found a way through when Calautti just failed to get on the end of a dangerous ball into the box. They came even closer on the stroke of half-time, when Steph Grant had to be at full stretch to tip Jamie-Lee Gale’s shot past the post.
The Angels started the second half strongly, with Gale and Calautti linking up impressively. Yet it was the Redbacks who drew first blood, Renee Leotta picking up Carol Howes’ pass and firing an unstoppable finish into the roof of the net.
Beckenham hit back shortly afterwards when captain Danielle Jeans’ cross deceived Grant and drifted in at the back post.
Beckenham looked to have a decent penalty shout when Kirby Larsen tangled with Lynsey Valentine but their appeals were waved away by referee Renee Silvester.
At the other end Leotta nearly gave the Redbacks the lead with a volley that landed on the roof of the net after a clever first touch.
That was the last real chance of note for either side as the game ended all square, meaning penalties were needed to determine the winner of the Cup.
Beckenham stepped up first, captain Jeans finding the bottom right hand corner. Williams repeated the trick for the Redbacks before Jobling’s penalty crashed off the crossbar to hand the advantage to Redbacks. Nicola Diamond fired into the bottom left hand corner to make it 2-1. Beckenham’s Kristen Kofler saw her penalty saved. Amy Knight scored for the Redbacks, meaning Gale needed to score to keep the Angels’ hopes alive.
Unfortunately for her, Grant was equal to the task and the Redbacks won the Cup in the most dramatic of circumstances.
Northern Redbacks 1 (Renee LEOTTA 66’)
Beckenham Angels FC 1 (Danielle JEANS 71’)
Sunday 7 October 2012
Macedonia Park, Stirling
Local kick-off: 11:15am
Crowd: Approx 250
Referee: Renee Silvester
Assistants: Bianca Brucciani and Opal Wright
Northern Redbacks: 1. Steph GRANT, 2. Ash BAGER, 3. Larissa WALSH, 4. Nicola WILLIAMS, 5. Lynsey VALENTINE, 6. Carla BENNETT, 7 Alesha DYER, 8. Carol HOWES, 9. Jackie NELLANY, 10. Kirri BOLTON, 11. Katie MOTH, 12. Amy KNIGHTS, 13. Rebecca DAVIES, 14. Renee LEOTA, 15. Lauren RILEY, 16. Leigh KELLY
Substitutes not used: N/A
Yellow cards: Nil
Red cards: Nil
Beckenham Angels: 1. Kristy TESCHINSKY, 2. Danielle JEANS, 3. Kirby LARSEN, 4. Lindsay JOBLING, 5. Kayla COPPENS, 7. Annique KEISLER, 8. Jamie-Lee GALE, 9. Nicola DIAMOND, 10. Emma WALDEN, 11. Kristen KOFLER, 12. Danielle CALAUTTI, 14. Antonia JUKIC, 15. Andrea PREIATO, 16. Katarina JUKIC
Substitutes not used: N/A
Yellow cards: 7. Annique KEISLER 72’
Red cards: Nil