ROBERTSON BAGS FIVE AS DIAMONDS CRUSH RAPA
Monday 17 August 2020
Words Dave Webster \ WUAFC Media
Photo TJF Photos
Last week we asked if there was anything Jemma Robertson couldn't do after she scored a hat-trick in 15 minutes. The answer is apparently no, as she showed with a five goal haul as Wellington United crushed Wairarapa United 6-1 at Masterton Memorial Turf on Saturday.
Wairarapa United, who have been runners up to Wellington United in the league the last two seasons, usually provide a tough challenge for the Diamonds and the way the game started it looked as if it was going to be another close game.
United almost had the ball in the net within the first minute, only thwarted by a good save from Grace Minnis in the Wairarapa goal. The next minute it was Wairarapa's turn to almost score when a header from a corner just snuck on to the wrong side of the crossbar for them. After this hectic start the game slowed a bit and Wellington United encamped themselves in the Wairarapa half started to take control. In the ninth minute Jemma Robertson cut inside from her left wing position took the ball in to the penalty are and hammered it in to the back of the net.
While the Diamonds had set up camp in the Wairarapa half it wasn't all going their way and in the 29th minute, Wairarapa captain Tui Duggan managed to avoid the offside trap and latch on to a through ball, leaving her with only keeper Molly Simons to beat, which she did comfortably keeping the ball low and wide enough that Simons couldn't reach it.
Then came what was probably the turning point of the game, Dani Ohlsson had been having a battle with Wairarapa defender Amber Phillips all game and it had been Phillips that had been winning out, but in the 38th minute, Ohlsson again broke down the right wing, when she looked over her shoulder she realised Phillips wasn't in quite the right position, so she accelerated and headed towards the by-line before sending a cross into the six yard area where Robertson was on hand to head the ball in to give Diamonds a 2-1 lead heading into half-time.
Within a minute of the second half starting, Robertson had the ball in the net for her second hat-trick in as many weeks . With Diamonds pushing forward their play paid off in the 58th minute when Robertson got a fourth and two minutes later Emma Main slotted the ball past Grace Minnis to make it 5-1. Robertson completed the scoring for the day in the 80th minute after she had been tripped about 20 meters out. She took the free kick herself and lobbed it into the top of the goal.
It was Robertson's 10th hat-trick for the Diamonds and she is fast catching up on the record of 13 held by her sister, Michaela. She is quite humble about her prolific goal scoring, shown after the match when asked about the goals, her main comments were around the players who had provided assists for her to score.
With Robertson in fine form knocking the goals in it is easy to overlook the rest of the team. However it was midfielder Charlotte Wilford Carroll and defender Rosie Wild that picked up three and two points respectively in the player of the day ratings (Robertson got one). On top of that Dani Ohlsson had one of her better games of the season, Hope Gilchrist and Asha Strom put in their usual solid performances and coach Maika Ruyter-Hooley has stuck with the Diamonds practice of giving young players an opportunity and there were good performances from Nea Blackham and substitute Pepi Oliver-Bell.
Ends
MATCH DETAILS
Women's W-League
Memorial Turf, Masterton
Saturday 8 August 2020
Wellington United Diamonds (2) 6 (Jemma Robertson 5, Emma Main)
Western Suburbs (1) 1 (Tui Duggan)
Wairarapa United, who have been runners up to Wellington United in the league the last two seasons, usually provide a tough challenge for the Diamonds and the way the game started it looked as if it was going to be another close game.
United almost had the ball in the net within the first minute, only thwarted by a good save from Grace Minnis in the Wairarapa goal. The next minute it was Wairarapa's turn to almost score when a header from a corner just snuck on to the wrong side of the crossbar for them. After this hectic start the game slowed a bit and Wellington United encamped themselves in the Wairarapa half started to take control. In the ninth minute Jemma Robertson cut inside from her left wing position took the ball in to the penalty are and hammered it in to the back of the net.
While the Diamonds had set up camp in the Wairarapa half it wasn't all going their way and in the 29th minute, Wairarapa captain Tui Duggan managed to avoid the offside trap and latch on to a through ball, leaving her with only keeper Molly Simons to beat, which she did comfortably keeping the ball low and wide enough that Simons couldn't reach it.
Then came what was probably the turning point of the game, Dani Ohlsson had been having a battle with Wairarapa defender Amber Phillips all game and it had been Phillips that had been winning out, but in the 38th minute, Ohlsson again broke down the right wing, when she looked over her shoulder she realised Phillips wasn't in quite the right position, so she accelerated and headed towards the by-line before sending a cross into the six yard area where Robertson was on hand to head the ball in to give Diamonds a 2-1 lead heading into half-time.
Within a minute of the second half starting, Robertson had the ball in the net for her second hat-trick in as many weeks . With Diamonds pushing forward their play paid off in the 58th minute when Robertson got a fourth and two minutes later Emma Main slotted the ball past Grace Minnis to make it 5-1. Robertson completed the scoring for the day in the 80th minute after she had been tripped about 20 meters out. She took the free kick herself and lobbed it into the top of the goal.
It was Robertson's 10th hat-trick for the Diamonds and she is fast catching up on the record of 13 held by her sister, Michaela. She is quite humble about her prolific goal scoring, shown after the match when asked about the goals, her main comments were around the players who had provided assists for her to score.
With Robertson in fine form knocking the goals in it is easy to overlook the rest of the team. However it was midfielder Charlotte Wilford Carroll and defender Rosie Wild that picked up three and two points respectively in the player of the day ratings (Robertson got one). On top of that Dani Ohlsson had one of her better games of the season, Hope Gilchrist and Asha Strom put in their usual solid performances and coach Maika Ruyter-Hooley has stuck with the Diamonds practice of giving young players an opportunity and there were good performances from Nea Blackham and substitute Pepi Oliver-Bell.
Ends
MATCH DETAILS
Women's W-League
Memorial Turf, Masterton
Saturday 8 August 2020
Wellington United Diamonds (2) 6 (Jemma Robertson 5, Emma Main)
Western Suburbs (1) 1 (Tui Duggan)