Women's Team cruise to Semi Final

by Ayrton Galea - 6th February 2014

Birkirkara's Women Team cruised to the Semi-Finals of the Women's Knock-Out on Tuesday evening when they overcame the challenge of the First Division side Pembroke Athletha with a result of 5-0.

Two goals by Kim Parnis in the first half were the steppingstone for the Maltese Champions. Another three goals in the last fifteen minutes of the match served to show the superiority they enjoyed throughout the ninety minutes.

Coming from a 2-0 victory over title rivals Hibernians, the Stripes were in for a psychological test of keeping their feet on the ground, but the players showed great discipline and maturity on the field.

Birkirkara Women's Coach, Mr. Johann Scicluna once again revamped his starting. He fielded an offensive 3-4-3 formation and he made no less than four changes. Yasmeen Vella, Kirstie Vella, Maryrose Cardona and Tara Attard were all drafted inside the first-eleven selection.

The First Half

Birkirkara opened well and they enjoyed large swaths of possession inside the first minutes, while Pembroke, opting for five players in their defensive line, tried to close their any gaps at the back.

There was little to separate both sides in the initial minutes as scoring opportunities were rare. But it was the Stripes who threatened first on the twelfth minute mark, when Tara Attard served Raina Giusti, who dribbled past her marker and concluded with a powerful strike that sallied over the bar.

Just four minutes later, Birkirkara, who were still enjoying total control of the match, could have surged ahead. Rachel Cuschieri and Raina Giusti combined well, with the latter passing in direction of Gabriella Zahra, who was clear at the far post, but her shot ended wide.

Birkirkara's towering defender, Rebecca Chircop was left blaming her luck on the twenty-second minute, as her close-range header ended inches wide after connecting perfectly off a well-taken corner kick by Rachel Cuschieri.

On the twenty-third minute, the Stripes surged ahead. Kim Parnis had an excellent strike from outside the box, bouncing in front of goalkeeper Baldaccinho and ending into the net.

Just past the half-hour mark, Birkirkara were awarded a penalty when the referee adjudicated that a Pembroke defender handled the ball inside the area. To the surprise of many, goalkeeper Janice Xuereb stepped to the eleven metres spot, but her low drive ended wide.

The penalty lost, did not dampen the Stripes spirits, as just five minutes later, they doubled the lead. Rachel Cuschieri showed great vision by shifting play with an excellent cross that failed to be held by goalkeeper Rosiemarie Baldaccinho, and from the rebound, Kim Parnis slotted into an empty net.

Being two goals down, it became clear that Pembroke had to get out of their defensive cover and three minutes from half time, they had their first scoring opportunity when Amber Grech, had a long-distance shot ending wide.

The half-time whistled found Birkirkara leading 2-0 thanks to Kim Parnis' brace.

The Second Half

Just after two minutes into the second half, Kim Parnis passed to Rachel Cuschieri who had a fierce volley neutralised by an excellent save of goalkeeper Baldaccinho.

Cuschieri was in action once again on the fiftieth minute, when she tried her luck with an in-swinging shot from outside the box, but her effort ended wide.

Birkirkara continued to play good football, with one-two passing movements, and running without the ball, but Pembroke stepped-up their performance, and their counter-attacks where threatening Birkirkara's rearguard.

On the hour mark, Johann Scicluna ordered two substitutions, as he withdrew Raina Giusti and Maryrose Cardona with Kelly Agius Pace and Charlene Schembri taking their place. Three minutes later, Chantal Fenech replaced Tara Attard.

Substitute Kelly Agius Pace was quick to leave her impact as on the sixty-fifth minute, she had a fine drive from outside the box parried by goalkeeper Baldaccinho.

In a rare scoring opportunity for Pembroke, Janice Xuereb easily neutralised a header connected off a free-kick from the right.

Birkirkara made them three on the seventy-fifth minute. Kim Parnis and Rachel Cuschieri combined well, with Cuschieri playing in direction of Kelly Agius Pace who finished calmly to beat Baldaccinho.

The Stripes made them four on the eighty-third minute. Rachel Cuschieri had a powerful drive from outside the box that was stopped but not held by the goalkeeper. Alishia Sultana was in the perfect position to drift inside the box and hit home from close range.

One minute from time, Cuschieri made one of her typical solo-actions by dribbling past three players before unleashing a thunderous strike which hit hard past the goalkeeper.

The Referee's full-time whistle found Birkirkara cruising to the last four of the competition and they will now face Mgarr United in the semi-final.

BIRKIRKARA: Janice Xuereb (76' Nina Dimech), Rebecca Chircop, Alishia Sultana, Maryrose Cardona (60' Charlene Schembri), Tara Attard (Chantel Fenech 63'), Gabriella Zahra, Kim Parnis, Rachel Cuschieri, Yasmeen Vella, Kirstie Vella, Raina Giusti (60' Kelly Agius Pace).

PEMBROKE: RoseMarie Baldacchino, Sarah Caruana, Annabelle Rapa (44' Lorna Cassar), Sarah Cassar Dymond (76' Rachel Mifsud), Martha Sammut (56' Justine Zammit), Monique Sammut, Sonia Schembri, Amber Grech, Leanne Micallef (88' Ilenia Navarro), Ottilia Debattista (56' Amy Abdilla), Olivia Lendeczky.

Scorers: 23' Kim Parnis, 35' Kim Parnis, 75' Kelly Agius Pace, 83' Alishia Sultana, 89' Rachel Cuschieri.

comments powered by Disqus