Busselton just too much for spirited Manjimup Rovers

A spirited Manjimup Rovers women’s team, forced into an away game because of flooding, could not overcome the loss of four players against Busselton on Sunday in round 12 South West Soccer Association action, losing 10-0. Originally scheduled to be played in Manjimup, the game had to be moved to Busselton after Collier Park was flooded. Going into any game four players short was always going to be a daunting task, but the seven Rovers on the pitch held their own for the first 10 minutes. However, shortly after the opening period, Busselton began to press the Rovers and exploit the wide spaces that were empty. Cross after cross was delivered by Busselton, which was cleared by Manjimup into the area just outside of their box. The ball was then picked up by a Busselton midfielder who played a key pass between two Manjimup defenders for a striker to run on to a score. Going forward, the Rovers tried to create something out of nothing with the work ethic of both Alicia Gluck and Jasmine Gill never dropping throughout the game. However, the Busselton striker was on fire in the rainy conditions and scored a couple of stunning goals, including one where she took on three Rovers players before slotting the ball into the corner of the far post. By half-time, the Rovers were down 5-0, meaning the rest of the game was more about damage control. As the conditions on the day worsened, the game became more of a physical contest, with harder tackles and more mistakes being made by both sides. Doing their best to give Busselton a fight, the Rovers never dropped their heads and continued to chase down every ball and push forward when given the chance. Another outrageous goal from Busselton’s striker marked the point of no return for Manjimup as the game finished 10-0. Players of the match for the Rovers were Madison Griffiths and Gill.