Irena Taseski and the Casey Comets are inside the top five of the Women’s Premier League for the first time this season after a crushing 6-0 win over WVSA. Picture: Luke Plummer.By Marc McGowan
NOTHING has been easy for the Casey Comets this season.
However, after being forced to jump another hurdle in the lead-up to the weekend’s match, the Comets now find themselves in the top five for the first time in 2007.
The leap up the Women’s Premier League table comes courtesy of a 6-0 obliteration of the winless WVSA at Hume Reserve on Sunday.
It was a drama-packed week for Casey, with the shock exit of star midfielder Lucy Kapusta, who was granted a transfer to rival club Sandringham on Friday morning.
Kapusta had played for the Comets for a decade and her only explanation to coach Deborah Nichols was that she wanted to play somewhere where she did not have to be as committed.
To make matters worse, Lisa Cloke had teeth taken out on the same day, which ruled her out, and fellow teenagers Anna Carmichael and Marcie Algeria came down with viruses on Sunday morning.
On hearing the news, youngster Alex Gummer, who has been struggling with a persistent knee injury, decided to make the trip to Geelong just in case she was needed.
Nichols was forced to promote reserves players Linda Restrepo, Shuanna Murray and Anita Ashdown into the starting line-up because of the withdrawals.
The rejig caused early problems for the Comets as they struggled with an unfamiliar team, but Leigh Terek’s scrappy opening goal – her first for the season – opened the floodgates.
Murray was next with her debut score and when Sarah Fitzgerald half-volleyed a Terek corner for her 10th goal for the year, Casey was celebrating a 3-0 lead.
The second half began in the same fashion as late inclusion Restrepo, Rachel Lamb and Terek, again, completed another hat-trick of goals to blow the margin out.
The standard of the encounter slipped from that point, but the Comets were well and truly satisfied with the lopsided victory.
Nichols was proud of her team’s resilience and content with Casey’s ascent to the top five.
“I’ve said for a few weeks that if we get into the five on the turn I’d be happy,” she said.
“In saying that, it will be a very interesting three weeks ahead, but I’m pretty happy – all things considered.”
The Comets seniors face Eltham North at Eltham North Reserve at 3pm on Saturday, with the reserves up first at 1pm, before duelling with Ashburton and undefeated ladder leader Heidelberg United in the coming weeks.
“We’ve been working hard on the track and with Eltham playing tonight (Tuesday), that might work in our favour as they’ll have a couple of days less to recover than us,” Nichols said.
Despite losing three of its best players, Casey’s reserves managed to salvage a 2-2 draw and have now taken points from their last three clashes.
