Women's Team trounce Raiders
by Ayrton Galea - 19th March 2014
Birkirkara FC Women's Team had one of the easiest tasks on Tuesday evening when they beat Raiders 8-0 score, to have morale sky-high before the much awaited match against Hibernians next week.
Raina Giusti and Rachel Cuschieri scored a brace each, while Kim Parnis, Martina Cilia, Alishia Sultana and Stephania Farrugia all managed to put their name on the scoring sheet in the biggest win of the season.
Mr. Johann Scicluna stuck to his trend of rotating formation and his starting-eleven, as he made two changes from last match. Raina Giusti was once again given the nod in the starting-eleven selection, alongside Kirstie Vella, Charlene Schembri, Yasmeen Vella and Alishia Sultana. Maryrose Cardone replaced Kelly Agius Pace, while Rebecca Chircop was unavailable for this match.
The First Half
Birkirkara started the match brightly and they were quick to put their opponents under pressure. For their superiority, the Stripes were rewarded with an early opener. When the match was just two minutes old, Martina Cilia played-in Kim Parnis, who had a brilliant strike from outside the box hitting hard past the helpless Raiders goalkeeper, Maria Assunta Farrugia.
The Stripes, almost doubled their lead just a minute later when Rachel Cuschieri hit a stunner from distance, which was denied by an excellent save by the Raiders goalkeeper who turned the effort into a corner kick.
The opening stages continued brightly for the Stripes, who went close once again on the fifth minute, when Maryrose Cardona penetrated on the right flank but she saw her up-rising shot smashing against the crossbar.
Maryrose Cardona was in action once again on the tenth minute but her low shot was parried by goalkeeper Farrugia.
Birkirkara were all over their opponents and it was no surprise that they doubled the lead on the sixteenth minute. Kim Parnis won possession inside the middle of the field and served Rachel Cuschieri. The Birkirkara midfielder raced forward before hitting a thunderous strike from distance that gave goalkeeper Farrugia no chance.
Kim Parnis almost added her second personal goal on the eighteenth minute when Charlene Schembri served Parnis who had a fine strike ending wide. Just a minute later, Raina Giusti served Rachel Cuschieri who saw her shot from inside the box saved by Farrugia.
Birkirkara were showing superior football which hardly gave chance to their opponents to get out of their own half. The Stripes were attacking from every side and close to the half-hour mark they added their third goal. Raina Giusti showed her great striking skills by calmly placing a brilliant shot at the back of the net from the edge of the box, and left goalkeeper Farrugia staring.
Three became four just three minutes later, as Raina Giusti added another goal on her name. Following a short goal-kick, Raina won possession before racing forward and slotting the ball past goalkeeper Farrugia.
Five minutes from half-time, Rachel Cuschieri gave Martina Cilia a fine pass inside the box, with the latter having her close-range effort blocked by the onrushing goalkeeper, with the ball ending into a goal-kick.
The Stripes continued to maintain their comfortable lead as they showed total superiority and the first half ended with Birkirkara enjoying a 4-0 lead.
The Second Half
There were no change in the script of the second half, as Birkirkara remained too strong for their opponents. Birkirkara were quick to threaten and on the forty-eighth minute, Kim Parnis had a shot turned into a corner kick by goalkeeper Farrugia.
Birkirkara added their fifth goal nine minutes into the second half. In a well built action, Gabriella Zahra played-in Martina Cilia, whose effort from the edge of the box hit past goalkeeper Farrugia with the tireless Birkirkara player rewarded for her hard work.
Coach Johann Scicluna made his first change on the day on the hour mark, when he withdrew Maryrose Cardona and included veteran midfielder, Chantal Fenech.
Birkirkara continued to show no mercy and on the sixty-third minute, Stephania Farrugia tried her luck with a long-distance shot which ended wide off the far post.
The Stripes scored their sixth goal twenty minutes into the second-half, when Rachel Cuschieri scored her second personal goal after depositing the ball into the net, after racing past her marker inside the box.
Coach Johann Scicluna made another three substitutions on the sixty-eighth minute, when he replaced goalkeeper Janice Xuereb, Kirstie Vella and Martina Cilia with Nina Dimech, Yasmeen Vella and Alishia Sultana. Following these changes, the Birkirkara Coach also changed his players positions on the pitch.
Birkirkara continued to increase the Raiders' woes on the seventy-fifth minute when they scored the seventh goal. Gabriella Zahra served Rachel Cuschieri on the left flank, who sent a second-post cross, with Alishia Sultana tapping home from close range.
Substitute Chantal Fenech went close to increasing Birkirkara's lead ten minutes from time, when she connected off a cross by Kim Parnis, but her effort ended slightly wide. Two minutes later, Stephania Farrugia had a low strike saved by Farrugia after being served by Chantal Fenech.
On the seventy-seventh minute, Birkirkara continued their goal scoring exhibition as they made them eight. Stephania Farrugia found space inside the box to hit a low strike past goalkeeper Farrugia.
Having trashed and tormented their opponents with eight goals, the Stripes controlled possession in the final minutes, before the referee brought to an end Birkirkara's five-star performance, and they will be going to next week's decisive clash against Hibernians with morale sky high.
BIRKIRKARA: Janice Xuereb (68' Nina Dimech), Stephania Farrugia, Kirstie Vella (68' Yasmeen Vella), Gabriella Zahra, Tara Attard, Charlene Schembri, Kim Parnis, Rachel Cuschieri, Maryrose Cardona (60' Chantal Fenech), Martina Cilia (68' Alishia Sultana), Raina Giusti.
RAIDERS: Maria Assunta Farrugia, Nadine Agius, Nora Agliano, Amanda Atkins, Therese Briffa, Kathleen Mangion, Amanda Mifsud, Alison Patiniott, Janice Spiteri, Andrea Faye Zammit Mizzi, Rodianne Zerafa.
Scorers: 2' Kim Parnis, 16' Rachel Cuschieri, 30' Raina Giusti, 33' Raina Giusti, 54' Martina Cilia, 65' Rachel Cuschieri, 75' Alishia Sultana, 78' Stephania Farrugia.
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