There was not one but two very low-scoring games that caught the eye on Matchday 14 of the women’s A1 in Italy.
Firstly, the huge Italian derby between Ekipe and Plebiscito ended in a 4-4 draw. Yes, you read that correctly, 4-4. What’s more, Ekipe scored three of their four goals in the first quarter before a Padova comeback meant they were unable to break through for 18 minutes.
There was another unusual result as Trieste held off Bogliasco, 5-4. Trieste led 4-1 at half-time, and held on thereafter.
Across the other games in the matchday, league leaders Roma smashed Florentia 24-2, in which they led 14-0 at half-time. Brizz secured a crucial 10-7 win over Bologna, while Rapallo continues to win, with a 15-4 win in Como.
Ekipe Orizzonte 4 – 4 Plebiscito Padova (3-0, 0-1, 0-2, 1-1)
Ekipe: L. Celona, B. Halligan 1, C. Grasso, G. Viacava 1, V. Gant 1, D. Bettini, V. Palmieri, C. Marletta 1, G. Gagliardi, A. Williams, A. Longo, M. Leone, G. Condorelli.
Padova: L. Teani, L. Barzon 1, V. Valyi, G. Citino 2, E. Queirolo, A. Casson 1, A. Millo, S. Dario, H. Mckelvey, C. Meggiato, S. Centanni, Cassara, C. Giacon.
Plebiscito Padova and Ekipe Orizzonte played an extremely unusual game in the Italian league today, with nothing separating the two teams in a 4-4 tie.
Ekipe might have been licking their lips after a lethal opening eight minutes. Marletta, Gant, and Halligan spurred Ekipe to a 3-0 lead.
However, in the middle of the game, Padova managed to completely shut down the Sicilian team’s attack, leaving them scoreless for well over two quarters. Laura Teani was impressive in goal, but it was the entire Plebiscito team that moved more aggressively, leaving no time for Orizzonte’s shooters to think. With the change of momentum, Plebiscito broke the tie via strikes from Citino (2) and Casson.
In the final quarter, Giulia Viacava broke the deadlock for Orizzonte with a goal in extra-man, making it 4-3. Then, after almost six minutes of missed opportunities on both sides, it was Laura Barzon who equalised with a sublime pinpoint effort from range.
Both teams are now level on points (34), but Plebiscito have a game in hand. With Stefano Posterivo’s team sitting in second, it is a valuable away point for them.
Bogliasco 1951 4 – 5 Pallanuoto Trieste (0-0, 1-4, 2-1, 1-0).
Bogliasco:V. Uccella, A. Riccio, B. Rosta, G. Cuzzupe’, A. Mauceri, G. Millo 2, G. Lombella, R. Rogondino 2, M. Paganello, G. Cavallini, M. Carpaneto , D. Spampinato, M. Oberti.
Trieste: F. Sparano, D. Vomastkova, E. De March 1, E. Sblattero, G. Marussi, L. Cergol 1, G. Klatowski 2, F. Colletta, G. Zizza, J. Vukovic, I. Riccioli , R. Santapaola 1, G. Gregorutti .
Trieste claimed a hard-fought 5-4 victory against a resilient Netafim Bogliasco in another incredibly exciting, low-scoring match.
Giorgia Klatowski netted twice for Trieste in the victory for Paolo Zizza’s team, who keep chase of Rapallo in fourth, trailing by only three points.
The first quarter was goalless, but Trieste made a significant breakaway in the second quarter, scoring three goals through Cergol and two from Klatowski. Bogliasco managed to score a goal in the last minute through Giulia Millo, but De March quickly replied, making the score 4-1.
In the third, Bogliasco initiated their comeback, relying on the saves of Uccella and the inventiveness of Rogondino and Millo to find the target. Trieste kept their noses in front though, via Roberta Santapaola, taking the scoreline to 5-4 heading into the last.
Santapaola then had a perfect opportunity to grab her second of the day, but fired her penalty wayward to give Bogliasco hope. Mario Sinatra’s side attacked relentlessly to score an equaliser and won a penalty with just a minute remaining, but Rosa Rogondino could only hit the crossbar.
Brizz Nuoto 10 – 7 RN Bologna (3-1, 3-3, 2-1, 2-2)
Brizz: H. Santapaola, F. Sapienza 1, A. Vitaliano, G. Pastanella, A. Arcidiacono, M. Spampinato, C. Cappello, I. Pane, N. Sasover 3, V. Santoro, M. Giuffrida 4, A. Milicevic 2, F. Paladino.
Bologna:O. Sesena, A. Repetto, V. Perna 1, F. Lekness 1, A. Mazzia, L. Redaelli, C. Morselli, M. Lepore 2, M. Marchetti 1, F. De Vincentiis, E. Altamura 2, F. Toth, M. Allotta.
Brizz celebrated their third victory of the season in a deserved win over Bologna, with an impressive 10-7 scoreline.
Carlo Zilleri’s squad showed excellent attacking prowess, with the dynamic trio of Marta Giuffrida, Noa Sasover, and Ana Milicevic all finding the back of the net for the Crocs. Despite missing two penalty shots, Milicevic’s strong performance helped secure the win for Brizz.
The match was a rollercoaster ride, with Brizz taking an early 3-1 lead only to see it wiped out by a determined Bologna, who levelled the score at 4-4 in the second quarter. However, the home team was quick to regroup, and their defence successfully curtailed Bologna’s offence while the attackers scored four crucial consecutive goals, ultimately securing the win.
Following the victory, Brizz now moves up to the eighth position in the standings, overtaking Bologna. Although they are on the same points as Como, Brizz boasts a significantly better goal difference.
RN Florentia 2 – 24 SIS Roma (0-7, 0-7, 1-4, 1-6)
Florentia: C. Banchelli, E. Gabelli, L. Lepore, S. Cordovani, G. Gasparri, N. Vittori, L. Nesti 1, M. Pantani, M. Osti 1, E. Capaccioli, I. Landi, Gattini, G. Pellegrino.
Roma: E. Eichelberger, M. Misiti, G. Galardi 1, Papi, S. Giustini 3, C. Ranalli 6, D. Picozzi 5, C. Tabani 1, C. Nardini 1, L. Di Claudio, A. Cocchiere 2, Andrews 5, Galbani.
While they were defeated badly in Sabadell, and drew with Ekipe last matchday, the SIS Roma of old returned to dominate Florida, with Marco Capanna’s team smashing their opponents 24-2.
The league leaders were rampant in attack, leading 14-0 at halftime, with captain Domitilla Picozzi and Chiara Ranalli scoring 4 goals apiece.
Roma’s commitment to scoring was impressive, but arguably the real feat in the match was keeping their net untouched for a staggering 20 minutes.
Although Nesti managed to score for Florentia midway through the third, it was not enough to turn the tide. The attacking force of Capanna’s squad continued to shine, finishing the match with an impressive 24-2 victory.
This win sees SIS Roma extend their lead at the top of A1 to 8 points. They are still yet to lose in the league this season.
Como Nuoto 4 – 15 Rapallo Pallanuoto (2-5, 1-2, 1-6, 0-2)
Como: G. Frassinelli, M. Romano’, M. Fisco 1, J. Tedesco, E. Borg, A. Giraldo, R. Bianchi 1, A. Iannarelli, B. Romano’ 2, G. Lanzoni, A Cassano, E. Mercatali, A. Volpato.
Rapallo: S. Caso, N. Zanetta 4, U. Gitto, I. Rossi, D. Carrasco Leyva, L. Vanelo 1, G. Gnetti, B. Cabona 2, S. Costa, Marcialis, R. Bianconi 5, G. Apilongo 3.
Rapallo remained determined to stay in the top four, and another solid victory today—a 15-4 defeat of Como—did just the trick.
The opening period was a bit of a tug of war, but after a while, Como took a clear lead via strikes by Roberta Bianconi, Nicole Zanetta, and Gaia Apilongo (5-2).
The referee awarded a penalty to Lanzoni in the second half, but 18-year-old goalkeeper Serena Caso made a great save to deny her opponent. At halftime, Antonucci’s team was leading 7-3.
Rapallo continued to assert themselves in the second half, with Luca Antonucci’s team finding yet more luck in the attacking areas. Biaconi and Cabona helped Rapallo shut out the last eight minutes with a clean column.
Next Matchday (21st February)
Como Nuoto vs Ekipe Orizzonte
RN Bologna vs Plebiscito Padova
SIS Roma vs Brizz Nuoto
Rapallo Pallanuoto vs Bogliasco 1951
Pallanuoto Trieste vs RN Florentia
Standings
- SIS Roma – 14 – 42pts
- Plebiscito Padova – 13 – 34pts
- Ekipe Orizzonte – 13 – 34pts
- Rapallo Pallanuoto – 14 – 24pts
- Pallanuoto Trieste – 14 – 21pts
- Bogliasco 1951 – 14 – 15pts
- RN Florentia – 14 – 10pts
- Brizz Nuoto – 13 – 9pts
- Como Nuoto – 14 – 9pts
- RN Bologna – 14 – 7pts
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