With Vouliagmeni and Ethnikos fighting for places in the Euro Cup quarter-finals yesterday evening, there was a slightly reduced matchday 14 in the Greek A1, with welcomed victories for Alimos and Rethymnou – sides that had gone a while without picking up points.
Alimos finally got back to winning ways, beating Peristeri 12-7, with Alexandra Asimaki’s 5-goal performance leading the way for the newly promoted side, while six goals from Bernie Doyle navigated NC Rethymnou to secure their first win of the season, beating Larissa 10-7.
Olympiacos, the reigning champions, defeated Patra 25-5 with ease, remaining undefeated this season, keeping the Dolphins in 7th place. Elsewhere, Panionios defeated AEK in a high-scoring battle in Nea Smyrni, with Pascalle Casey leading the charge with 5 strikes.
Olympiacos 25 – 5 NE Patra (7-1, 8-2, 5-0, 5-2)
Olympiacos: C. Diamantopoulou, E. Plevritou 2, I. Chydirioti 2, N. Eleftheriadou, F. Tricha 1, E. Xenaki 5, C. Siouti 1, M. Plevritou, S. Tornarou 1, V. Plevritou 4, K. Christmas 1, M. Myriokefalitaki 4, I. Stamatopoulou, S. Santa 4, Z. Tjortzakaki.
Patra: A. Giannakea, A. Androutseli, V. Zofoli, T. Levi 2, E. Tsimara 1, M. Balatsa 1, M. Petasi, D. Koureta 1, O. Moirali, D. Kontaku, A. Kontaku, N. Michalatou, I. Rack
It was service as usual in Piraeus as the formidable reigning champions, Olympiacos, tore yet another defence apart – this time Patra, by a score of 25-5.
Olympiacos had outscored their opponents 5:1 in the first half, leading 15-3. Seven straight scores from Aleksandar Ciric’s side was more than enough to finish off a helpless Patra side.
Left-handed centre Eleni Xenaki hit five goals, while Vasiliki Plevritou, Maria Myriokefalitaki and Stefania Santa converted four goals each.
Olympiacos are still yet to lose a game in all competitions so far this season.
Michael Lazaridis will know that his team’s success this season is not reliant on matching up with Olympiacos, but the manner of defeat is disheartening. The Dolphins, who are not the first side to be outclassed by their opponents today, sit down in seventh.
Panionios GSS 17 – 13 AEK (5-3, 3-5, 5-4, 4-1)
Panionios: A. Mitsou, P. Casey 5, I. Mavrotas 3, M. Bogachenko 3, A. Kotsafti, M. Mastrokallou 1, M. Thomopoulou, E. Loudis 1, C. Kotsia 4, A. Loudis, D. Papanastasiou, A. Papanastasiou, L. Mavrotas, A. Keladiti
AEK: D. Nigro, K. McKenty 1, E. Georgiou 1, H. Biniari, A. Kalaitzi 2, A. Gilla 5, A. Frangelaki, E. Roumeliotis 2, E. Liapaki, Dassiou 2, K. Michaelidou, Founti, Fella, A. Peteinatou.
Panionios triumphed in a thirty-goal showdown against AEK, securing a hard-fought three points in Nea Smyrni.
The game was a thrilling battle, with the score tied 8-8 at halftime. Panionios fought back in the third quarter, taking a narrow lead of 13-12. But it was Tassos Papanastasiou’s team who sealed the deal with a shutout performance in the final quarter.
Australian international Pascalle Casey led the charge with five goals for the Red-Blues, while Christina Kotsia, Ifigenia Mavrotas, and Maria Bogachenko each added three to the impressive total.
But the excitement wasn’t limited to the pool, as the game was temporarily interrupted by a protesting AEK fan. Despite the interruption, Panionios secured their place in 5th, keeping pace with Alimos and Glyfada, who both have 27 points. AEK now faces the daunting challenge of the reigning champions, Olympiacos, in two weeks’ time.
Alimos NAC 12 – 7 Peristeri SC (3-1, 2-0, 4-3, 3-3)
Alimos: E. Lazaris, N. Chaldaiou 1, E. Kovasevic, N. Piovan, J. Lykothanasis, E. Patero, A. Asimaki 5, S. Logothetis 1, L. Mihailovic 1, M. Bitsakou 1, E. Tsimara 3, I. Helmi, M. Karagianni, S. Kyrkou, A. Bitchaku.
Peristeri: C. Zafiraki, A. Kolitsopoulou 3, S. Fragaki, E. Grozopoulou 1, C. Apostolidou, D. Konstantopoulou, E. Loukopoulou, Berikou 1, P. Petta, D. Bekri 1, M. Kassari 1, M. Gotzia, A. Papasifaki, A. Kikidou.
Alimos ended their four-game losing streak with a triumphant 12-7 victory over Athens rivals Peristeri. Alexandra Asimaki made her mark with a stunning five-goal performance, leading her team to victory.
From the start, Alimos dominated the game, taking a comfortable 5-1 lead. Despite a surge from Peristeri in the second half, bringing the score to 7-6, Alimos held strong and secured their first win since mid-December.
With a promising schedule ahead, Alimos has a chance to recover their lost points. They will face Larissa, Patra, and AEK before facing Panionios, a team they previously beat easily but now find themselves tied with on points.
NC Rethymnou 10 – 7 NC Larissa (2-2, 3-2, 3-1, 2-2)
Rethymnou: M. Poulopoulou, D. Lampathaki, B. Doyle 6, K. Kyriakaki 2, N. Tsiougri, M. Zafeirakis, A. Sanchez 1, S. Libitaki, E. Farmaki 1, A. Libitaki, M. Farmaki.
Larissa: E. Archontaki, A. Kokkinou, I. Touloumtzidou, V. Hasioti, A. Safeti 3, A. Koltsida, K. Rogers 3, T. Galanopoulou, M. Mastori, A. Clapperton 1, G. Sakkellariou
At long last, NC Rethymnou have their first victory of the season, defeating Larissa 10-7 on the island of Crete.
After thirteen match days with just a point to show for their efforts, Odysseas Bariotaki’s team narrowly edged fellow strugglers Larissa, in large part thanks to the outstanding contribution of New Zealand International, Bernie Doyle, who fired home six scores in the game.
A single goal lead for the hosts at the turnaround (5-4) was extended to a four-score cushion by the end of the third (9-5), and the hosts made sure they didn’t stumble in the final eight minutes.
Larissa will have hoped that this match was an opportunity to get back on track, instead, the side from Thessaly stayed without picking up points in any of their last six games.
Next Matchday (11th February)
NC Larissa vs Alimos NAC
Peristeri SC vs ANO Glyfada
Ethnikos vs PAOK
Panionios vs NC Vouliagmeni
AEK vs Olympiacos
NE Patra vs NC Rethymnou
Standings
- Olympiacos – 14 – 42pts
- NC Vouliagmeni – 13 – 34pts
- Ethnikos – 13 – 30pts
- Alimos NAC – 14 – 27pts
- Panionios GSS – 14 – 27pts
- ANO Glyfada – 13 – 26pts
- NE Patra – 14 – 18pts
- PAOK – 13 – 16pts
- AEK – 14 – 6pts
- NC Larissa – 14 – 6pts
- Peristeri SC – 14 – 6pts
- NC Rethymnou – 14 – 4pts
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