A sunny Sunday at North Seaford Reserve saw Barkerettes (fifth) take on league leaders Seaford. Barkers had taken 16 points from 21 after a horror start, but needed to keep winning to maintain their slender promotion hopes. Alizah Jones was playing her 50th game.
Barkers were on top early on, with Laelah Gundry seeing plenty of the ball on the left wing. It was Gundry who created Barkers’ best chance of the game on only seven minutes. She crossed for Amy D’Ortenzio, who lofted the ball over the bar from close range. Seven minutes later, Gracie Touliatos put a speculative long shot wide. Next, it was Gundry who cut in from the left and shot wide.
Seaford’s first threat came on the half hour when they broke down the right and lobbed keeper Ash Fraraccio, but a defender raced back to clear for a corner. From the corner, a forward volleyed towards goal but Fraraccio got behind it.
Now Seaford pinned Barkers in their own half. They won a free kick on the edge of the box in 34 minutes, and Kallista Tzelios struck the bar with a fine effort. Right on half-time, D’Ortenzio put Martin through, but her shot was deflected wide. Half-time: Seaford United 0-0 Mooroolbark.
Six minutes into the second half, Martin played through to D’Ortenzio, but her first touch saw the ball run through to keeper Stephanie White. Now, Seaford began to take over.
A break down the right saw Fraraccio turn a shot round the post. Then a throw from the left saw a turn and a shot over. After forcing a number of corners, Seaford won a free kick for a push, 25 yards out on the right.
Tzelios struck a beauty over the wall and into the corner of the net – there was nothing the Barkers keeper could do about it – 1-0 Seaford. Then a long kick from White saw Tzelios beat her marker and run on to shoot, but Fraraccio parried the ball around her post.
On 65 minutes, a lovely long crossfield ball found Seaford’s Charlotte Janson’s clear on the right. She saw a good shot saved, then Tzelios followed up, but Fraraccio again denied the hosts.
The rest of the game deteriorated into a physical battle, and the nearest Barkers came to equalising was a near-post corner, which Butera volleyed wide. Full time: Seaford United 1-0 Mooroolbark.
So Seaford are the first team to do the double over Barkers since 2023, but Barkers were far from disgraced, and could easily have won a point had their finishing been better. They now need an awful lot to go right in the final four games if they are to get anywhere near second spot.
