“I am so proud of this squad, to be able to turn it around from one of the worst starts to a season we’ve ever had, to being league winners. I had full faith and belief in what this squad could achieve, and their hard work paid off. We went into each week one game at a time and chipped away at it, pushing each other to play the best football we could, growing each week.” - Rob Caruso (Club President & Women's Head Coach)
Women's Div 1
Season 2024 started with a gruelling pre-season commencing in January with FitStop sessions and time trials at Len Packham, preparing initially for the pre-season State League Division 1.
The pre-season night series turned out to be a short one for Perth AFC, losing their first game to Subiaco 2-1, meaning the following win against Baldivis was null and void.
Regardless, training continued on and the squad was looking strong with over 35 talented players committing to the club for their Women's Division 1 League and Central Division 3 sides, already making head coach Rob Caruso’s job of selections difficult.
Round 1 of the season proper commenced in April, with AFC already two players down due to injury.
The stage was set for a great battle at home against Fremantle, unfortunately ending in a 1-0 loss.
The week following, also at home, ended in a further loss – this time to Mandurah, 2-1.
Then against Subiaco, at home again, 2-0 loss, which also included a season ending ankle injury for new AFC star Jemma Martin. AFC was now bottom of the table.
Not a great start for AFC by any means, however, there were hopes for round 4 against Murdoch University Melville (MUM FC), the consistent hard work at training finally paying off with a 3-0 win.
At this stage AFC’s coaching team had also been bolstered by the inclusion of the knowledgeable and passionate Preston Gilling as Assistant Coach.
Round 5, a rainy day against a hard-fighting Sorrento side, ended in a narrow 2-1 win.
The new signing of Penelope (Nelly) Clayton gave AFC some goal-scoring hope, given they had only scored 3 goals in 5 matches.
It would only take until the week following vs Hamersley, the final game of Round 1 that ended in a hard-fought 2-0 win, for Nelly to score a signature goal, after a frustrating 0-0 draw to UWA at home the week prior.
AFC entered the second round of games with a “start again” approach, including a move to the wider Pitch B at Len Packham, which provided instant improvement with a comfortable 4-1 win against Fremantle.
The feeling was short-lived however, with draws away at Mandurah and Subi the weeks following.
Mandurah was in classic windy conditions with their side boosted by the support from an enthusiastic crowd - a physical match which also ended in an aggravated chronic back injury for
superb goalkeeper Danielle Caruso, ultimately ending her season.
Luckily, with three goal keepers in the squad, Cynthia Kuman stepped up and played superbly in the role.
The Subiaco game brought fiery exchanges, physicality, and a record-breaking step-count on Rob Caruso’s smart watch. AFC scored in the 1st and 19th minute of the game, then let a goal in at minute 57. AFC then scored again, putting them 3-1 in front, only to then concede 3 times in 7-minutes, somehow putting them 4-3 down.
Luckily, Nelly Clayton pulled out one of her signature goals in the 79th minute, to somehow pull a draw from what should have been a resounding win for AFC.
The second round of games then finished with two clear wins against MUM (7-0) (which unfortunately included a devastating ACL rupture for striker Linda Carnessali), and Sorrento (4-0), and much needed 1-0 home wins against UWA.
After a comfortable win against Fremantle in Round 8, they seemed to bring a reinvigorated side with them into round 15 - at Wauhop Park, resulting in a 1-1 draw. As if AFC’s injury woes couldn’t get any worse, key defender Keeley Hughes was injured early in the game, resulting in a season-ending fractured leg.
With deja-vu from match 1, the following Mandurah game resulted in another frustrating draw, this time 0-0.
Encouraged by their outstanding defensive record, AFC continued to focus on playing “good football” and playing out from the defence to create chances, resulting in a stunning run of 5 wins with an outstanding total of 15 goals scored and zero conceded in those matches, ultimately finishing as WOMEN'S DIVISION ONE CHAMPIONS.
Despite their solid run, due to a slow start, three other sides were placed as contenders for the title, meaning AFC’s final match against Hamersley was a must-win battle. A 4-0 win was a superb way to finish an inconsistent and somewhat unlucky season, with final contender Subiaco watching on in disappointment with hopes of an AFC loss dashed.
Football West were present at the match to present AFC with their banner and league trophy.
Central Division 3
Led by Jess Tucker, the AFC reserves side was looking the goods at the start of the season with strong numbers, many of which would be fighting for a spot in the Division 1 side.
Whilst the scorelines may not have shown it at the start of the season, with many new players, some in new positions, big improvements were made from week to week, individually and as a team.
A highlight of the season was, thanks to Jess and assistant coach Yuma Iwasaki, who ended up taking over the side whilst Jess was away - a “home game” being played at stunning new facility the Sam Kerr Football Centre, topped off with a 3-0 win. Further injury woes, holidays, and player movements up to the first division side meant that the final run of the reserves’ season was a challenging one, unfortunately finishing at the bottom of the table.
Comentarios