Women’s Match Report: Essendon Royals denied by incredible goalkeeping in Brunswick Juventus clash

It was a frustrating day for Essendon Royals as they fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Brunswick Juventus in Round 5 of the VPLW. Despite a dominant display, Vince Battiato’s side was unable to convert their numerous chances into goals, leaving Reddish Reserve empty-handed.

The Royals came out of the blocks firing, piling the pressure on the Brunswick defence from the opening whistle. They racked up an impressive 28 shots but were repeatedly denied by the heroics of Brunswick’s goalkeeper, Sienna Gidari. The shot-stopper produced one of the performances of her career, making a series of incredible saves to keep the Royals at bay.

In contrast, Brunswick was clinical when the chance came. Ayumi Horikoshi’s goal in the 51st minute proved to be the difference between the two sides, a moment of quality that gave the Royals’ keeper, Beth Mason-Jones, no chance. The Japanese forward showed great composure and skill to exploit a moment of space and deliver a stunning finish into the top corner of the net.

Despite the defeat, the Royals can take heart from their performance. They demonstrated the potential to go far in the VPLW this season and will be confident of taking the frustration from this defeat into future games with an increased ruthlessness in front of the goal.

In the earlier kick-off, the Essendon Royals Reserves played out a tense 0-0 draw with Brunswick Juventus in a tightly contested match.