By Peter Stephenson
A chilly evening at Esther Park saw the first-ever meeting between Barkerettes and Gippsland United, in round two of Women’s State 3 South. Barkers had begun with a 4-1 win at Mornington, but the injuries were mounting up and junior players had to be brought in to cover.
United looked the better side for the first half hour, and took a sixth-minute lead when Mercedes Ince went on a solo run from the right before slotting the ball home for 1-0 United.
Barkers’ first real chance took half an hour to arrive, when Amy D’Ortenzio crossed beautifully from the left wing for Lisa Walsh, who came steaming in with a header that was just over.
However, within a minute United had doubled their lead when a long punt from keeper Laura List saw Lexi Prichard outpace the Barkers’ defence and go on to score – 2-0 United.
Five minutes before the break, Barkers hit United on the counter when Walsh put a well-timed ball through to D’Ortenzio. One-on-one with the keeper Amy is usually a safe bet, and sure enough she placed the ball wide of List to cut the deficit to 2-1. Half-time: Mooroolbark 1-2 Gippsland United.
In the second half Barkers were much better at taking the game to United. However, 5 minutes from time, United put the game beyond doubt when a free-kick from 25 yards was belted home by Remi Davis. Full-time: Mooroolbark 1-3 Gippsland United.
A disappointing result, but Barkers did create chances in the second half, and a full strength side would surely have provided a sterner test for Gippsland.
Next for Barkers is a home game against Mentone on Friday, kick-off 8.30pm at Esther Park.
