A week after clinching a quarter-final spot with a dominant 4-1 cup victory at Gower Park, Thames Women FC hosted Melville Epics at Rhodes Park this time in a crucial league fixture.
The match proved to be a much closer contest, ending in a 2-2 draw, a result that keeps Thames in touch with the leading teams in the division. Melville seemed to have learned from the previous week’s match as they controlled possession during the first half with a more conservative and solid formation, which limited Thames to only a few half-chances through counterattacks.
The game came alive in the second stanza, with Thames adopting a more expansive style and taking advantage of the space behind the Melville fullbacks.
A whipped cross from the right was misjudged and ultimately handled in the box by the defender. Referee Juan Meza Budani awarded Thames a penalty, which the ever-reliable Ariel McNab confidently converted just before the hour mark. Melville responded by earning a penalty of their own after the referee spotted another handball. Humaira Feroz stepped up and calmly slotted home to level the score.
Ten minutes later, a third penalty went the visitors’ way, and they edged ahead. Feroz went the other way this time, but the result was the same, with Melville taking a 2-1 lead. Thames pushed forward and created several good chances. Jess Rendall made a trademark run down the left, and McNab well met her cross, but the header was straight at Halina Free in the Melville goal.
Emma Hinds-Senior followed with a curling shot that bent just wide after a fine move orchestrated by Ceyda Nemburt and Rendall. Taimania Hinds’s direct ball played forward then caused confusion in the Melville box. Free mistakenly handled a backpass, resulting in a rare indirect free kick inside the penalty area.
Thames capitalised on the opportunity as McNab set up Hinds-Senior, who curled a superb shot into the left corner, levelling the match again. Both teams had chances to secure all three points. Stella Perano’s long cross nearly found the far corner, and Nemburt and Rendall combined again, but their resulting shot slipped just wide of the post.
Thames finished the match strongly with a flurry of corners, applying late pressure on the Melville goal. However, the visitors held firm, and the game concluded with a score of 2-2.
“It was a hard-fought match against a familiar opponent,” said manager Xavier Brown. “Of course, it’s not the result we were hoping for, but we did well to fight back and achieve a result that reflects our performance.”
Elsewhere, Thames FC Men’s challenging start to the season continued as they were comfortably beaten 3-0 by a well-drilled and spirited Ngaruawahia United side. This defeat leaves them second-bottom in the standings, with only one win from their opening six league matches.
Report by Jonathan Coles
