Match report: Cunning Stunts 6-0 The Boo Bees
Temperatures worthy of multiple water breaks was not enough to prevent Cunning Stunts from a 6-0 roasting of The Boo Bees.
It was the Stunts game to lose, as they settled into cruise control following their first goal. The Bee’s chances were few and far between and when they did occur good defending, solid keeping or plain bad luck conspired to keep them off the scoresheet.
The goals:
Amy Jamieson (Cunning Stunts, 15th minute) A defensive blunder was what let the Stunts take control of the match. The cross was claimed by keeper Jerry Murillo, but a defender ended up in the way when Murillo cleared, leaving Jamieson free to pounce and score.
Michelle Rea (Cunning Stunts, 28th minute) Good interplay through the lines resulted in a flat-footed defence when Ray found herself inside the area. With time and space, Rea made her shot count.
Jess Findlay (Cunning Stunts, 40th minute) On the stroke of halftime Cunning Stunts were pushing hard with the box naught more than a writhing mass of bodies. Given the population density in the area at the time, it’s wondrous that Findlay’s shot from just outside the box went home.
Rutu Hazel-King (Cunning Stunts, 42nd minute) No one expected this one. Well on the right-wing and a good 25 yards from goal, Hazel-King shrugged her shoulders and said “eh, why not.” The shot she unleashed somehow sailed in. How???
Rutu Hazel-King (Cunning Stunts, 72nd minute) A spell of Stunt pressure saw the Boo Bee goal peppered with shot after shot. GK Murillo performed admirably considering the circumstances - several key saves gave the Bees glimpses of hope - but Hazel-King’s drive into the bottom left ended Murillo’s infallibility.
Jess Findlay (Cunning Stunts, 78th minute) Rather than the scorer, this time Hazel-King was the architect. She picked up the ball on the halfway line and ran with it without stopping. The defence wasn’t able to touch her, and one quick play to Findlay followed by a pass into the net saw six.
The pivotal moment:
The first fifteen were fairly even and it wasn’t until the Stunts had already secured their lead that they began to dominate. So things could have been very different had a 11th minute Bee shot not been averted.
Leo Anderson inside the Cunning area unleashed an unorthodox shot - a lob. The ball’s trajectory had everyone guessing, so Stunt goalie Ella Folkner’s palming away of the ball was a testament to her skill. Had Anderson scored, it would have rivalled Hazel-King’s goal in terms of aesthetic quality.
The stars:
Cunning Stunts: Rutu Hazel-King. With two goals to her name - one being long-distance - and a miraculous assist, was this ever a competition?
The Boo Bees: Jamie Sanders Barring the parried lob, the girl getting closest to a goal was Jamie Sanders. Her energetic runs up top and tenacity saw her get close to bringing her team on the score sheet multiple times, only to get thwarted each time by last ditch-defending or quality keeping.
The bad gals: N/A
The meaning:
Very little. Cunning Stunts put six points between them and bottom, leaving them on… six points. The Boo Bees remain rooted to last place without a point to their name and a whopping -51 goal difference.
The future: is at Alex Moore. Next Sunday the Boo Bees open the action with their 12:30 match against VUWAFC Women’s Football, while Cunning Stunts follow in their 2pm match against Miramar Women.
The rest:
Arse-n-all 4-2 Miramar Women
VUWAFC Women’s Football 2-2 Team Dwallopers