W-League Playoffs: Perth crush Sydney 5 to 1 in Semi-finals

The Perth Glory crushed Sydney FC 5 to 1 in a W-League semi-final at NIB Stadium on February 4, 2017 in front of 1592 fans.

It is playoff time already in Australia’s W-League, which has featured numerous NWSL players this seson. The first semi-final featured Perth Glory and Sydney FC. Here are the lineups:

First half action:

• 1′ (first minute) . The opening kickoff was an omen for Sydney FC as they botched the kickoff resulting in a free kick for Perth.
• 23′. The ball bounces around the penalty box and Kyah Simon does a side volley kick for a spectacular goal for Sydney FC!
• 28′. Yeoman-Dale has a sloppy tackle on Mautz inside the penalty box earning a yellow card for herself and a penalty kick for Perth.
• GOAL! Vanessa DiBernardo puts the ball in the left center of net as the goalkeeper guessed wrong on the penalty kick. Score is now tied at one to one.
• Despite some decent chances for both sides, neither was able to score again in the first half.

Second half highlights:

• 58″. Alanna Kennedy was trying to deflect a DiBernardo cross from going to dangerous Sam Kerr, but lofted the ball over the reach of the goalkeeper for an own goal.  Perth now leads two to one.
• At this point Perth started to dominate as there were several failed chances on goal led by Kerr, but others like Stanton took their shots as well.
• 77′. Perth finally broke through with their third goal of the game as Kerr shoots, but the ball is deflected back to DiBernardo was puts the ball in the back of the net.
• By now the spirit was broken for Sydney as a minute later, Kerr shoots again, and this time, Rosie Sutton takes the rebound and shoots for another goal. It is four to one at this point.
• There were four minutes of extra time, which was enough for one more Perth goal as Shawn Billam, a late substitute,  floated the ball over the goalkeeper’s hand to just go under the crossbar for the last score of the game.

Overall comments:

• Sydney FC played equally well as Perth in the first half, but disappeared almost completely in the second half. Even before the unfortunate own goal by Kennedy, the Glory were starting to dominate the possession.
• Sydney FC’s attack was absent throughout the second half. Simon, Foord. Polianas, and the rest were invisible. Foord as an attacking player sounds good on paper as she is known for her pace. However, her true skills are best suited as an attacking fullback. She is a player capable of trying to contain Kerr’s speed, but can also provide the occasional attack. No one else on Sydney was able to slow down Kerr, forcing Yeoman-Dale and others into several dangerous fouling opportunities.
• Kerr did not score in this game, but played a part in all five goals. Overall, she led the attack, forcing the defense to commit to stopping her, but leaving someone open for a fairly easy goal. I do have any statistics to prove this, but she is the game’s most valuable player.

Here is the ESPN3 video of the game.

Next: NWSL has TV deal with Lifetime

Melbourne City will be taking on Canberra United in the other semi-final on February 5, 2017. The winner will face Perth in the championship next weekend. Check back for game summaries of both of those games. Good day mates!