By Peter Stephenson
Barkerettes (second) visited a cool, dull Kooyong Park to face Malvern (sixth). Barkers had dropped to second spot for the first time in weeks but were only a point behind Collingwood with this game in hand. Kaity Farrance was celebrating her 200th game, while Hannah Lee was playing her 50th.
Three minutes in, a long throw from the right found Eleanor Ridley. She slipped the ball to Amy D’Ortenzio, whose shot was on target, but foiled by a one-handed save from keeper Helen Carroll. Eight minutes later, a Malvern goal kick was intercepted by D’Ortenzio, who found Alizah Jones, but she shot at the keeper.
Having not played a game for three weeks, Barkers were struggling to find their fluid game, and Malvern were adept at closing them down. On 13 minutes, a Malvern attack from the left saw the ball played into the centre for an unmarked forward, but keeper Ashleigh Fraraccio did well to block the shot.
Just before the break, Lee took a throw in from the left and found D’Ortenzio. Her shot was blocked, and she hit the rebound just a little high and wide of the far post. A minute later, Barkers won a free kick on the right about 25 yards out, and Kelly Butera struck a beauty against the bar.
Barkers were almost undone in the last minute of the half when Malvern played the ball through the middle to put two forwards in the clear. The player in the centre peeled to the left, and struck the ball into the net, but she was offside (in fact they both were). Half-time 0-0 with Barkers not looking their usual composed selves.
As the second half began, it all went wrong for Barkers. A Malvern free kick on the right was played out to a forward, whose shot floated harmlessly wide. However, the Barkers goal kick was given away, under pressure, to Malvern’s Luisa Sanchez at the edge of the box. She had time to strike a high shot over Fraraccio, breaking the Barkers’ keeper’s shutout which had lasted five hours 47 minutes – 1-0 Malvern.
Malvern continued to hassle Barkers and refused to allow the visitors time on the ball. On the hour, Emily Stokes played the ball in from the right for D’Ortenzio, whose shot was blocked. Nine minutes later, a Butera shot was spilled by Carroll, but Barkers couldn’t take advantage. Then Barkers won a free kick at the edge of the box on the left. Rebecca Brown played the ball short to Butera, who floated a ball narrowly past the far post. As Barkers tried desperately to find an equaliser, the final half-chance fell to Charlotte McCullough, who found herself in the clear, but a defender did enough to put her off. Final score: Malvern 1-0 Barkers.
This was a disappointing game from Barkers, who looked ring-rusty. Fraraccio, and especially Alexis Sketchley, did a sterling job of keeping a tenacious Malvern side at bay, but Barkers simply weren’t allowed to settle and the hosts deserved the win. Importantly, this now hands the initiative to Collingwood, who are a point clear with two games to go.
