ESSENDONClean sheets at the top of the table are rarely quiet, and the Royals’ goalkeeper had to be at her sharpest before this one was won.
Alamein FC arrived at Cross Keys Reserve sitting seventh and carrying enough first-half threat to suggest an upset was on, and for forty-five minutes they had the better of it. Sophie Dehne, the Royals’ number 99 and ever-reliable deputy to Zara Board, kept the scoreline level with a string of important saves, and the sides went in goalless at the break.
The breakthrough came on the hour. Kelli McGroarty broke the deadlock in the 60th minute to give the Royals a lead their second-half control deserved. Alamein’s afternoon then unravelled when Jessica Shilton was sent off in the 86th minute for a second yellow card, and substitute Emma Langley made the numerical advantage count almost immediately, adding the second in the 89th minute to seal a 2-0 win.
It keeps Essendon top of NPLW Victoria on 38 points, a single point clear of Box Hill United with the season entering its decisive stretch. What pleases most is the manner of it, a tight first half survived through goalkeeping and organisation, then the quality to win the game once the chances arrived.
Sides chasing a championship need both, and the Royals showed both here.