Former Cup finalists Bundoora United illustrated the gulf in class between the top and bottom of the VPLW with a comfortbale win over Bayside Argonauts overnight at Shipston Reserve in the Nike FC Cup.
It didn’t start so convincingly as Bundoora’s defence allowed Suzu Murakami to drift into space, the Japanese striker taking her chance from range in the 4th minute. However, the Argonauts lead didn’t last long as Taylor Halabi scored a cracker with her left foot to equalise in the 11th minute. Isobel Berks gave the visitors the lead in the 26th minute, her lobbed finish too good for an advancing Alisa Chechelnitskiy. Josie Lonsdale doubled Bundoora’s lead three minutes later after a goalmouth scramble, and the match was effectively put to bed after Berks virtually repeated her exploits against Chechelnitskiy who was again off her line, much to the Argonauts misfortune. Berks’ hat-trick on the cusp of half-time gave Bundoora an impressive 5-1 lead at the break.
A lapse in concentration in the 53rd minute gave the Argonauts some hope, with an errant pass from Amelia Kibell falling to Murakami, who confirmed her brace with a superbly taken finish. But just three minutes later, Samantha Black restored Bundoora’s four goal advantage, her speculative shot creeping under an outstretched Chechelnitskiy. It would finish 6-2, putting an end to the Argonauts cup run and confirming Bundoora United’s place in the semis.
There they will meet Heidelberg United, who showed little mercy in their 6-0 thumping of Manningham United at Olympic Village on Tuesday night. A casual three goals in each half from the Bergers, an ominous warning for the Cup’s remaining participants. Veteran Steph Galea scored a first-half brace either side of Bronte Peel’s 34th minute strike, while goalkeeper Mia Bailey converted from the spot in the 57th for her first goal in yellow-and-black. Japanese imports Sawa Matsuda and Asuka Miyata put the icing on the cake in an impressive display, of which there have been many in an almost flawless 2025 season.
The pick of the quarter-finals to be played thus far witnessed an engaging contest between FC Bulleen Lions and Alamein overnight at the Veneto Club. The opening exchanges delivered mayhem in both goals as the visitors took the lead within two minutes thanks to a neat finish from Savanna Anastasopoulos. The Lions were quick to respond thank to some individual brilliance from Dani Butrus, who beat two defenders before unleashing a pearler from outside the box that left Miranda Templeman rooted to her spot. 1-1 after seven minutes and the Lions at home are always a difficult prospect to beat.
Their second arrived in the 57th minute, thanks to some fine build-up which ended at the feet of Nia Salleh, who, with little pressure from the Alamein defence, looked up to see Templeman off her line and duly lobbed the keeper with a finish from twenty yards. Despite a brief break in play owing to a dangerous hailstorm, the Lions maintained their lead through to full-time in a gruelling contest which takes them to the semi-finals.
Bulleen will meet the winners of next week’s all NPLW clash between South Melbourne and Spring Hills, a match which features a freshly minted Head Coach in Justin Micallef and the recruit of the mid-season in Maja Markovski, fresh from a match-winning goal in Spring Hill’s win over FV Academy in the previous round.
Nike FC Cup: Quarter-Final Results
- Heidelberg United 6 (Steph Galea 14, 40, Bronte Peel 34, Mia Bailey 57pk, Sawa Matsuda 70, Asuka Miyata 90) Manningham United 0
- Bayside Argonauts 2 (Suzu Murakami 4, 53) Bundoora United 6 (Taylor Halabi 11, Isobel Berks 26, 32, 45, Josie Lonsdale 29, Samantha Black 56)
- FC Bulleen Lions 2 (Dani Butrus 7, Nia Salleh 57) Alamein 1 (Savanna Anastasopoulos 2)
Nike FC Cup Remaining Quarter-Final
Wednesday 2 July, 7:30pm: South Melbourne vs Spring Hills @ Lakeside Stadium