Moreland Zebras Women 0 – 0 Ashburton United Women

 

Friday night saw our State 3 senior women up against Ashburton United’s State 2 women’s team at Clifton Park synthetic pitch.

 

The first game under lights started off with high intensity and quality from the Zebras, showing improvement as a result of the hard work from an early preseason start. The Zebra’s fitness levels were evident as they came out with all guns blazing and ran the park with ease for the full 90 minutes. Both the Zebras and Ashburton gave it their all, with the Zebras working especially hard to dominate in the beginning of the match. The Zebra’s midfield was excellently controlled by Celeste Gallina, Sacha Philippou and Ashley Niutta, who continued to play possession football in the middle of the park. The defence was patrolled expertly by Anastasia Shevchuk and new-comer Kat Varveris, who coach Stephan Achilleos endowed as best on ground.

 

Chances were plentiful for the Zebras with Diarna Cartwright striking the crossbar and having a brilliant cross cleared off the line and a through-ball threaded by Monique Balassone to youngster Georgia Loizides that just missed the left goal post late in the game. There is no doubt that with more hard work throughout the season we will see these efforts secure many victories for the Moreland women.

 

Ashburton struggled to get a hold during the game, and although they played excellent football with the assistance of premier league players from their WPL team, Moreland’s defensive line and central midfielders defeated them in the middle of the park. Ashburton’s few chances on goal were brilliantly saved by Moreland’s two keepers, Simone Medica and Julia Mezzatesta, who both performed exceptionally.

 

The Zebra squad is at its strongest and with only a few more weeks until the season begins, it is clear that they will only continue to improve. The improvement from last season to now is clearly evident, with coach Stephan Achilleos’ efforts and persistence with the squad producing outstanding results. The Zebras’ progression from a bottom of the ladder team to a competitive outfit with high hopes for the season brings with it many opportunities for advancements in Women’s football at the Moreland Zebras club.

 

Achilleos was proud of his girls’ efforts and insists that the team will not get carried away and will keep their feet firmly on the ground. They will keep working hard to ensure constant improvement every week, with the great mixture of youth and experience proving to be a great balance for the squad in the season to come.

 

The best is yet to come.

 

Forza Juve