Women's Team complete first round with big victory

by Ayrton Galea - 2nd November 2016

Birkirkara FC Women's Team consolidated their sole leadership and made sure of finishing the first round of the BOV Women's First Division League in the pole position by chalking up their biggest win so far after beating Gozo FC with a 5-0 score.

Still on the seventh sky after beating Hibernians FC last week, the Stripes made sure of avoided any unexpected slip-ups by taking maximum points from this tricky fixture. After five matches, the Stripes drew once and won the other four, scoring thirteen goals and kept five consecutive clean-sheets.

The Stripes did all the running the match as they were streets in-front of their opponents but they relied on their skills in the set-pieces as no less than four goals arrived from set-pieces, including a free-kick, two corner kicks and a well converted penalty.

The First Half

Birkirkara made their intentions clear to notice right from the start, and they went close by Alishia Sultana and Raina Giusti who both saw their shots from inside the box saved by goalkeeper Melania Cefai, following a fine through ball on both occasions by Tracy Teuma.

The Stripes broke the dead-lock after twenty minutes. Gabriella Zahra struck a fine free-kick which was blocked by goalkeeper Cefai, and from the rebound Stephania Farrugia drilled the ball into the net to score her second goal in the last two matches.

Kim Parnis rattled the crossbar ten minutes from half-time but minute later, the Stripes made them two. Raina Giusti showed great technique to take the ball from the left side and cut to the middle before she struck a wonderful curling shot in the right top corner.

Two became three five minutes later. The inspiring Tracy Teuma delivered a well taken corner kick on the second post that saw Kim Parnis rising high to hit a bullet header in the net, as the Stripes ended the first-half with a comfortable three-goal lead.

The Second Half

The Stripes were unlucky eleven minutes inside the second half. Giusti delivered an excellent second-post corner kick that saw Farrugia hitting a brilliant header only to be denied by the crossbar. From the loose ball, Kelly Agius Pace fired over.

However, the Stripes made them four in their next scoring action fifteen minutes from time. It was an identical action that saw Giusti delivering a well-taken corner kick on the second post and on-form defender Ann-Marie Said hit home.

The set-pieces of Giusti was tormenting the defence and ten minutes from time, it was another corner kick by the technical player that once again saw Farrugia hitting a bullet header but denied by the crossbar.

Giusti was also involved in Birkirkara's fifth and last goal five minutes from time when she burst clear but she was floored inside the box and the referee ordered the penalty. From the eleven-metre spot, confident Farrugia made no mistake to add further gloss on another satisfactory victory.

BIRKIRKARA: Nina Dimech, Mariah Sciberras, Ann-Marie Said, Stephania Farrugia, Yasmeen Vella (46' Cassie Camilleri), Gabriella Zahra, Kim Parnis (51' Simone Buttigieg), Alishia Sultana (77' Sonia Schembri), Tracy Teuma (46' Sarah Urpani), Raina Giusti, Kelly Agius Pace (65' Maria Fenech).

Yellow Cards: None.

Scorers: 20' Stephania Farrugia, 36' Raina Giusti, 41' Kim Parnis, 75' Ann-Marie Said, 85' Stephania Farrugia.

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