Maitland Magpies post first points while Newcastle Olympic survive early scare in Taree: NPLW NNSW round 3, 2023

Adamstown succumbed 5-2 to Magic in their first loss of the season at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Saturday night after Azzurri had earlier overpowered winless Warners Bay 15-0 at Lisle Carr Oval.

Both Sunday afternoon games - Maitland against New Lambton at Cooks Square Park and Mid Coast versus Olympic in Taree - were rescheduled to evening kick-offs due to extreme heat.

The Magpies, who had opened their 2023 campaign with heart-breaking losses to Azzurri (2-1) and Olympic (3-2), scored in each half to beat New Lambton 2-0.

Olympic survived an early scare to defeat a resilient and hard-working Mid Coast 4-1. The scoreline blew out at the end with late goals to Sophie McDonald (87^th minute) and Marion Dunbabin (92^nd minute) after Mid Coast had taken an early 1-0 lead through Marissa Masterantonio in the second minute of play.

The goal came after an Olympic back pass was miskicked by goalkeeper Alexandra Tagaroulias and Masterantonio picked up the loose ball and finished into an open net.

The young Mid Coast side, playing without suspended captain-coach Emma Stanbury, held the competition heavyweights out with some gritty defence until Georgia Amess scored the first of her match brace to level the score at 1-1 in the 31^st minute.

Amess gave Olympic a 2-1 advantage at the break with her second goal in the 40^th minute.

In Maitland, Sophia Laurie found the back of the net in the 34^th minute for the hosts then Sophie Jones scored from the top of the box with a spectacular strike in the 50^th minute.

Jones had the chance to make it 3-0 in the 83^rd minute but hit the left post from the penalty spot after Chelsea Greguric was controversially deemed to have been felled in the box.

The Eagles remain winless after three outings and will be sweating on the returns of big guns Cassidy Davis and Lauren Allan, who will join the side once their A-League Women's commitments with the Newcastle Jets have finished.

Competition heavyweights Broadmeadow and Olympic are on a collision course with the two pitted against each other at Magic Park in round four.

Magic forward Kiarra Lewis won't be available for the eagerly anticipated showdown after being red-carded in the 72^nd minute against her former side on Saturday night for two yellow card offences.

The visitors were well in control of the match at 5-1 up when reduced to 10 players.

Adriana Konjarski again proved lethal with four goals - two in each half - and Lucy Jerram scored in the 11^th minute.

Konjarski scored from the penalty spot in the seventh minute after an Adamstown handball in the box then finished the rebound from Jerram's initial shot in the 21^st minute for her second.

Young gun Eva Donnelly pulled one back for Adamstown in the 37^th minute, scoring with a curling shot from the top of the 18-yard box.

Konjarski found the back of the net in the 57^th and 68^th minutes before Ellyse Lynch made the scoreline a touch more respectable with a goal in the 82^nd.

Magic coach Jake Curley felt there was plenty of room for improvement.

"I thought it was lucky for them that we only scored five," Curley said. "We probably could've scored more with better execution. For us, we just keep building."

Rosebud shot-stopper Olivia Sneddon was a late withdrawal due to a hip-related injury.

Earlier on Saturday, Emily Diaz produced a five-goal haul for Charlestown.

Azzurri, who have already beaten Maitland (2-1) and New Lambton (3-0) and next face Mid Coast, led 7-0 at the break. Lilly-Jane Babic bagged a second-half hat-trick while Sarah Halvorsen and Cassie Corder scored first-half doubles. Jess Dominello, Brianna Williams and Indianna Asimus also got on the scoresheet.

Points: Olympic 9, Azzurri 9, Magic 9, Adamstown 6, Maitland 3, New Lambton 0, Mid Coast 0, Warners Bay 0.

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