New recruits Ash Brodigan and Alison Logue proved key as Broadmeadow ended Newcastle Olympic's eight-game unbeaten run while newcomers Charlestown produced what coach Michael Lee described as a "gutsy" performance to beat Maitland in the battle of the newcomers in round two of Herald Women's Premier League.
Brodigan set up a 2-0 win at Magic Park on Saturday with a well-placed goal into the bottom right corner of the net in the 18th minute with Magic's best chance of the first half. Logue made two crucial saves midway through the second half - the first at point-blank range to deny Georgia Amess before tipping Jemma House's close-range header over the bar.
Substitute Maggie Quinn then took her chance to seal the home side's win when she received the ball with her back to goal then turned and fired it into the net in the 82nd.
It was the defending champions' first loss since round nine on August 21 last year.
Although disappointed with the result, Olympic coach Harmonie Attwill described the match as "a great game".
"I said in the pre-match, if you take your chances you win the game and that's what happened," Attwill said.
Tamara Nash produced an 83rd minute winner with a free kick in Azzurri's 3-2 victory over Maitland in a see-sawing affair at Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday.
It completed a match brace for Nash, who also scored with a free kick around the 30-minute mark. Both teams held the lead in the first half before going to the break locked at 2-2.
Mercedes Mcnabb opened the scoring for the Magpies around the 10-minute mark with a back-post tap-in after Sophie Stapleford had streaked down the left at pace and whipped a cross into the box.
But Azzurri midfielder Nicki Jones showed some individual brilliance five minutes later when she won the ball in the middle of the park then fired off a long-range shot to level the score at 1-1.
Nash then found the top right corner of the net with a free kick from the left sideline with 15 minutes left in the first half. But only minutes later centre-back Madison Galegos buried the rebound from close range after Azzurri's teenage shot-stopper Mia McLachlan had parried the ball away from a free kick.
McLachlan pulled off a match-saving effort to deny Chelsea Gay in a one-on-one situation just shy of the 70th minute.
"We had half the team playing futsal all week and only got back last night, so that was gutsy," Lee told the Newcastle Herald post-match on Sunday.
"Tamara's feet are like they've been through a mincer. That was just incredible. Real guts. They were all buggered, so I thought that was really gutsy because Maitland are a good team and I knew that when I saw them play Magic. That 5-2 wasn't a fair result and they dominated big parts of the game, so that was a really, really gutsy performance to get up today."
It was the first appearance for Charlestown in Herald WPL after they took over Merewether's licence this season. Their round-one clash with Mid Coast was postponed.
Adamstown drew 3-3 with Mid Coast at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Saturday night. Mattiese Loretan and Alannah Russell both scored doubles as Warners Bay routed New Lambton 8-1 on Friday night.
Round 2 results:
Warners Bay 8 (Mattiese Loretan 2, Alannah Russell 2, Elodie Dagg, Zoe Horgan, Sian Keating) beat New Lambton 1 (Adriana Jones) at John Street Oval on Friday night. Half-time: Warners Bay led 3-1.
Broadmeadow 2 (Ash Brodigan, Maggie Quinn) beat Newcastle Olympic 0 at Magic Park on Saturday. Half-time: Magic led 1-0.
Adamstown 3 (Kimmy Trappett, Ella Spicer, Leia Puxty) drew with Mid Coast 3 (Kirrilly Hughes, Chelsea Hall, Jess Watts) at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Saturday night. Half-time: 2-2.
Charlestown 3 (Tamara Nash 2, Nicki Jones) beat Maitland 2 (Mercedes Mcnabb, Madison Galegos) 2 at Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday. Half-time: 2-2.
Pointscore: Broadmeadow 6, Adamstown 4, Warners Bay 3, Olympic 3, Charlestown 3, Mid Coast 1, Maitland 0, New Lambton 0.
