Race for second place comes down to the wire

April 2, 2023

Ioulia Kontoni of Ethnikos.

While the top-four teams in the Women’s Greek A1 are set in stone, the team who will gain the second automatic spot into the championship semi-final’s is still up for grabs.

Olympiacos, who are streets ahead of the rest, were already guaranteed the top spot, and if they beat their Piraeus rivals Ethnikos in the last matchday, they will have a perfect record from the twenty-two match days from the regular league.

But as for the second semi-final spot, its Vouliagmeni who will finish second, unless they lose their final game and Ethnikos somehow take something against Olympiacos. Glyfada have been confirmed as fourth, and can longer catch Ethnikos, or be caught by Greek Cup Final-4 participants, Alimos. With the current championship format in operation, the last matchday still remains crucial.

Reminder: Greek women’s league format

At the end of the regular season, the top 8 teams in the standings move on to the Playoffs. In the First Phase of the Playoffs, the teams ranked 3rd and 6th and the teams ranked 4th and 5th play against each other. The teams that win two matches in this phase advance to the semi-finals, which will determine the top 4 spots in the championship. The teams that lose in the First Phase will play for 5th place. The top 2 teams in the standings, however, automatically advance to the semi-finals without playing any matches. Teams ranked 9th to 12th will play in the Playouts. The teams ranked 9th and 12th and the teams ranked 10th and 11th will play each other in this phase. The team at the bottom will be relegated, while the top team from the A2 will be promoted.

As for the results in this matchday (21), there were plenty of goals to feast on, but not much in the way of surprises. Vouliagmeni dominated Alimos with a 13-6 win, while Ethnikos triumphed over Panionios 16-8. Glyfada secured a 19-8 win over Rethymnou, and Olympiacos continued their winning streak with a 12-6 victory against PAOK. Meanwhile, Patra emerged victorious against Larissa with a 13-8 win, while AEK missed out on an opportunity to climb up the ranks, drawing 7-7 with Peristeri. With just one matchday remaining, the excitement is palpable as the teams prepare for a final showdown

2022/23 Women’s Greek League, Day 21

AEK 7 – 7 Peristeri SC (4-1, 1-2, 0-2, 2-2)
AEK: D. Nigro, K. McKenty, E. Paterou, E. Georgiou 1, H. Biniari, A. Kalaitzi 1, A. Gilla 2, A. Frangelaki 1, E. Roumeliotis, E. Liapaki, M. Dassiou 1, C. Michailidou 1, Founti, Fella, A. Peteinatu.
Peristeri: C. Zafiraki, A. Kolitsopoulou 2, S. Fragaki, E. Grozopoulou, C. Apostolidou, D. Konstantopoulou 1, E. Loukopoulou, E. Berikou, P. Petta 1, D. Bekri 1, M. Kassari 1, M. Gotzia 1, A. Papasifaki, E. Threpsiadou.

NE Patra 13 – 8 NC Larissa (1-1, 5-3, 5-2, 2-2)
Patra: A. Giannakea, A. Androutseli 1, T. Levi, E. Tsimara 2, M. Balatsa 1, M. Petasi, D. Koureta 3, O. Moirali 2, N. Balatsa, D. Kontakou, A. Kontakou, I. Rack 4.
Larissa: E. Archontaki, A. Kokkinou 2, I. Touloumtzidou 3, V. Hasioti, D. Kalogianni, A. Safeti, A. Koltsida 1, G. Sakellariou, K. Rogers 1, T. Galanopoulou 1, A. Clapperton.

Alimos NAC 6 – 13 NC Vouliagmeni (2-2, 2-4, 2-4, 0-3)
Alimos: E. Lazaris, N. Chaldaiou 1, E. Kovacevic, N. Piovan, J. Lykothanasis, E. Paterou, A. Asimaki 1, S. Logothetis, L. Mihailovic 2, M. Bitsakou, E. Tsimara 2, I. Helmi, M. Karagianni, D. Theofanopoulou.
Vouliagmeni: M. Kotsioni, S. Kaifa 2, D. Kalogeropoulou, E. Elliniadi 4, A. Giannopoulou, A. Ridge 3, E. Tankeeva 3, K. Stratidaki 1, D. Andreadi, F. Angelidis, E. Patras.

NC Rethymnou 8 – 19 ANO Glyfada (2-5, 2-5, 2-4, 2-5)
Rethymnou: M. Poulopoulou, D. Lampathaki, B. Doyle 3, K. Kyriakaki 1, M. Farmaki 1, N. Tsiougri 2, M. Zafeiraki, A. Sanchez, E. Farmaki 1, A. Libitaki, E. Libitaki.
Glyfada: E. Karytsa, P. Ninou 1, T. Moustakaria 2, I. Wolves 4, E. Grigoropoulou 1, I. Ninou 2, E. Antoniadis 1, I. Kanellopoulou 1, I. Koolhaas, E. Fountontou 1, L. Katsoni 1, S. Kontogianni 5, K. Iliakopoulou.

Olympiacos 12 – 6 PAOK (3-0, 4-2, 2-1, 3-3)
Olympiacos: C. Diamantopoulou, E. Plevritou 2, S. Santa, N. Eleftheriadou, F. Tricha 1, E. Xenaki 2, C. Siouti 1, M. Plevritou, M. Papadopoulou, V. Plevritou 3, K. Christmas 2, M. Myriokefalitaki 1, I. Stamatopoulou, D. Drakotou, Z. Tjortzakaki
PAOK: A. Bikou, E. Pustinikova 2, E. Tzelepi, M. Karypidou 3, I. Paraskevopoulou, P. Graikou, A. Akilbaiyeva, D. Fragia 1, C. Dona-Tsiaka, A. Tzourka, I. Karypidou, E. Zyka – Lerioti.

Panionios 8 – 16 Ethnikos (2-3, 2-5, 1-6, 3-2)
Panionios: A. Mitsou, P. Casey 2, I. Mavrotas 1, M. Bogachenko 2, A. Kotsafti, M. Mastrokallou, M. Thomopoulou, E. Loudi, C. Kotsia 3, A. Loudis, D. Papanastasiou, Anthia A. Papanastasiou, C. Katsiou, A. Karagiannis,
Ethnikos: E. Sotireli, A. Karampetsou 2, M. Borisova 2, V. Laskaridou 1, I. Kontoni 2, E. Beta 1, F. Chatzikyriakaki, A. Benekou 2, M. Rakitzi, E. Kanetidou 1, I. Benekou, A. Andrews 3, D. Bekri, E. Katsimpri 2, A. Klapsianou.

The penultimate matchday of the regular season in the women’s A1 has come to a close, confirming that Olympiacos, Vouliagmeni, Ethnikos and Glyfada will be the four teams progressing into the championship playoffs. Though there weren’t any major upsets, the matches were full of excitement, with three of the top four teams showcasing their prowess by dominating the second half of their fixtures.

Vouliagmeni faced off against newbies Alimos and secured an impressive 13-6 victory. The game was evenly poised during the opening exchanges, with the scores tied at 2-2. However, Kiki Liosi’s Euro Cup Quarter-Finalists turned the tide in the middle section of the game, before sealing the deal with a final quarter shut-out (3-0). Alimos struggled to find the back of the net in the second part of the contest, with Yiannis Beneopoulos’ side failing to score inside the last ten minutes. Eleni Elliniadi was the star of the game, scoring four goals for Vouliagmeni, while Amy Ridge and Ekaterina Tankeeva chipped in with three more goals each.

Meanwhile, Ethnikos demonstrated their quality by outscoring Panionios 16-8. The Blue-Whites were in control of the game after sixteen minutes, amassing a four-score cushion (8-4). The next eight minutes saw Ethnikos dominate their opponents, extending the lead to nine goals (14-5). Charlize Andrews, Ariadna Karampetsou, Maria Borisova, Ioulia Kontoni, Alkistis Benekou and Effrosyni Katsimpri all scored multiple times in the game.

Glyfada had an easy time against the leagues bottom side Rethymnou, leading 10-4 at half-time and securing a comfortable 19-8 win. Stamatina Kontogianni was the standout performer for Thodoris Andreakos’ side, racking up five goals, with Iris Wolves dominating her opposite number to secure four strikes.

Olympiacos continued their winning ways against in-form PAOK, grabbing a 12-6 victory at home. The Piraeus Reds extended their winning streak in the league to 21 games, focusing on themselves after their European crown reacquainted with Sabadell.

Patra ended their four-game winless streak against Larissa, triumphing 13-8 at Pepanos swimming pool. American Isabel Rack, formerly of UC Irvine, was the player of the match with a quad of goals.

Finally, AEK missed an opportunity to close the gap between them and their direct rivals in the league, conceding a goal with just 14 seconds remaining to tie 7-7 with Peristeri. Constantinople’s Athletic club led early on, first at 4-1, before building a 7-5 lead into the latter part of the last quarter. However, late goals from Myrto Kassari and Myrto Gotzia ensured that Peristeri stayed in 9th for now. Nonetheless, AEK will likely leapfrog Peristeri on the last matchday; Peristeri faces Panionios, while AEK will likely take points off Larissa.