Essendon Royals are the team to beat in the VPLW this season and have a chance to be the first side to claim the Nike F.C. Community Cup this Sunday!
As part of Nike's commitment to supporting grassroots football, this Sunday we will witness two of the best community clubs face off to crown the inaugural Nike F.C. Community Cup Champions.
In 2022, Essendon was defeated by Calder United in Round 5 of the Nike F.C. Cup, going down 1-0 to the eventual Champions.
Essendon Royals Head Coach Vince Battiato said his squad has what it takes to defeat Casey for the third time this season.
“I see us as a squad with very few weaknesses and there is a reason why we have only conceded three goals,” he said.
“The whole squad has been so solid all season, it’s ridiculous to keep 12 clean sheets throughout the season.
“Defending happens as a unit and we work really hard to be the best defensive unit in the league.”
In the first round of their campaign this year, the Royals drew State League 1 side Bayside Argonauts FC, claiming a 4-1 victory on the road.
Essendon blooded a number of young players in this match and was without their captain for the majority of the match after Rachel Alonso went down with a hamstring injury in the first half.
“We have five really good 15–17-year-olds in our VPLW squad and we gave them all a run in that match, we thought it was a good opportunity to rest a couple of players,” Battiato explained.
After Bayside Argonauts initially leveled the match at 1-1, Essendon rallied and scored three-late goals to ensure they advanced to the next round.
“We were very good, very dominant, but it was one of those days where it wouldn’t go in, we didn’t get a lot of those goals until very late,” Battiato recalled.
“I thought the young girls did well and our visa players all scored on the day which was really good for them.
“Bayside are challenging for the State League 1 title after coming up last year so they are quite a good side.”
In Round 4 of the competition, Essendon hosted Caroline Springs George Cross and came away with a comfortable 4-0 victory, with Filomena Delic scoring a brace.
“This was another tough game and another State League 1 opposition, also another new side who has just come up,” Battiato said.
“They were a bit bigger and a bit more physical than Bayside Argonauts were, I think it was very helpful that we played that game at home.
“We dominated most of that game, I don’t think Caroline Springs George Cross had a shot on goal, I think 4-0 was a fair result.”
Essendon was then drawn their toughest match-up of the campaign so far, coming up against NPLW outfit Bayside United.
The Royals opened the scoring in front of their home fans through Filomena Delic in the 26th minute and would maintain that buffer until prolific striker Kayla Deaver leveled the match for Bayside in the 55th minute.
Remarkably, only two minutes later, Ayano Koizumi put Essendon in front once again and was able to hold onto their lead until the final whistle was blown.
“That was a big night, it was actually a big week, Battiato recalled.
“We were excited to face NPLW opposition after going out to Calder United in the Round of 16 last season.
“Calder went on to win the tournament, but they only beat us 1-0 through a deflected own goal in the 85th minute
“We were the only team that Calder didn’t actually score against because we scored the goal for them.
“Having the opportunity to face another NPLW side on the road to potentially the Quarterfinal which was our goal this season was good for us.
“We were thrilled to get the result; I was really wrapped with the performance.”
Essendon’s run in the Nike F.C. Cup ended in the Quarterfinals against the Casey Comets, heartbreakingly losing 2-1 after conceding in the 89th minute.
This Sunday, the Royals will face their VPLW counterparts once again with a chance to redeem their Nike F.C. defeat.
“We were very confident going into that Cup game, but we were just not at our best in the first half, but anyone who watched the second half would have said the Royals are back,” Battiato said.
“We had the betterment of the chances but couldn’t capitalise.
“We took a risk in going for the win and we copped one in back the other way in the last minute.
“The reason we hate the game is the same reason we love it.”