Murdoch University Melville this week became the first team to advance to the Hyundai Women’s State Cup final with a 1-0 win over Fremantle City.
Samantha Mathers’ terrific strike from the edge of the area was enough for MUM FC to book their place in September’s showpiece event at the State Football Centre.
The result was a reversal of last Sunday’s league encounter between the teams, and now David Biancuzzo’s side will play the winners of the other semi-final between Hyundai NTC and Perth SC, who meet in early August.
This will be MUM FC’s second State Cup final in three years, but attention now turns to the NPLWA - Women’s competition and Sunday’s Round 15 game against Subiaco, as they look to make up a two-point deficit on fourth place.
A run of one win in seven matches has seen the two-time NPLW champions drop to sixth place, but MUM FC skipper Charli Wainwright said the semi-final performance was an important result for the club as they aim to get their season back on track.
“I’m super proud of the girls,” she said.
“Leading into the game, we were excited to get out and play after losing to Freo 1-0 at the weekend. It was good to get a little bit of revenge and we’re super happy with the result.
“The environment in this team is really positive, both on and off the pitch. We all get along with each other really well and we’re all excited to go and play in this final together.
“I feel in the past we maybe haven’t gone as fast and as forward early, so the message in the change rooms before the game was to make that one of our goals to be on the front foot. Obviously, our goal was good build-up play and a really good finish from Sam, so that worked well for us.”
Wainwright has been a mainstay with the club since the NPLWA – Women’s competition was formed, having been part of squads that won the league in 2020 and the treble in 2021.
She has stepped up to take the captain’s armband in the past two seasons and head a young squad, following a raft of departures in early 2022. The midfielder hopes to continue leading by example on Sunday when MUM FC face Subiaco at Rosalie Park and believes Wednesday’s win can set a new standard in their push towards a finals position.
“I believe we’ve set a benchmark for ourselves. We’ve previously looked at some of the games we’ve lost like the 6-0 away at Perth and that was a big reflection moment for us,” she said.
“We took that result to heart and then won (four games in a row) after that. So, it’s about setting those standards again and making ourselves accountable for it in terms of what we’re aiming for at the club.
“I feel like the only way is up from here. The girls will look at this as a really positive result against a very good team, which proves we are capable of beating the tougher teams in the league. We’ve just got to keep going out, putting everything on the line like we did tonight, and hopefully get the results we want.
“Going out and getting the win this weekend against Subi is very important for us now. It will further lift our spirits as we keep pushing ourselves each and every game to fight for that top-four spot.”
Elsewhere this weekend, Fremantle City will aim to bounce back from that cup disappointment when they face Perth RedStar in a massive top-of-the-table clash at Hilton Park.
Freo sit four points behind the leaders having played a game more, which means three points are a must if they are to keep their title hopes alive. The last time the pair met it was a 3-2 win for RedStar with all the goals scored in a thrilling first half.
City have won eight of their past 10 league games as they try to apply pressure on Carlos Vega Mena’s side, who have not lost in the NPLW since Round One. The defending champions are fresh from a weekend off, following last week’s postponement against Hyundai NTC who are away on NTC challenge duties.
Ben Anderton’s team are still over east and out of action again this week, with their clash against bottom side Curtin rearranged for later in the season.
It means the only other game of weekend sees third-place Perth SC travel to Balcatta Etna for an Italian derby with both teams needing wins for differing reasons.
A fourth victory in a row for Pete Rakic’s team combined with RedStar dropping points will mean the Azzurri stay in the title race going into the business end of the campaign.
Etna have their own motivation to take three points at Grindleford Reserve, though, with consecutive wins over MUM FC and Curtin putting them back in the finals reckoning and just two points off fourth-placed NTC.
Yash Pratap’s team will likely go fourth with maximum points against Perth, given their superior goal difference over Murdoch, who they start the round level on points with.
All of the weekend matches are live and free on Streamer.
- Football West is proud that this weekend is Think Mental Health Round, developed in partnership between Football West and Healthway.
The aim is to raise awareness about mental health and wellbeing while supporting you and your club in fostering a supportive culture.
Round 15 fixtures
Sunday (3pm unless stated)
Balcatta Etna v Perth SC
Fremantle City v Perth RedStar
Subiaco v Murdoch University Melville (3.45pm)
Postponed
Curtin University v Hyundai NTC