CASEY’S women’s team has fallen to an impressive Melbourne Uni outfit at Casey Fields on Saturday afternoon, going down by 53 points.
Casey Demons 1.6 (12) defeated by Melbourne Uni 10.5 (65).
It was wet under foot making every contest difficult to win, and Melbourne Uni was the better side when it mattered early.
They were first to the ball, cleaner around the contest and ran it forward with pace to create chances in front of goal.
After piling the pressure on the Demons, Uni eventually converted their dominance on the scoreboard and gained the ascendancy they deserved.
The Demons returned to their style of footy in the latter stages of the game, but the four points had already escaped them.
Casey was unable to penetrate the forward 50 in the first half, managing just the solitary behind from minimal looks, which ultimately cost it the match.
But it was Melbourne Uni’s ferocious attack from the outset which sparked its victory and forced the Demons into errors.
Some desperate defensive work from Darcy Guttridge, Bianca Jakobsson and Georgia McLean was the highlight of a scoreless first term as Casey trailed by just 15 points despite a barrage of entries from Melbourne Uni.
But the quarter-time break failed to shift the momentum as Caitlin Greiser goaled for Melbourne in the opening minute to continue her side’s onslaught.
With an abundance of opportunities to score, Sophie Abbatangelo was the liveliest of Uni’s forwards, presenting well and kicking her first major in the second term to take a 33-point lead into the main break.
To the Demons credit, they responded in the third quarter with an improved work rate and were able to turn the contest around.
It took 10 minutes of play in the second half for Casey to register its first and only goal, courtesy of stand-in captain Maddie Shevlin, but it was a hard earned score that gave the Demons hope.
But Casey’s comeback dreams were mitigated quickly as Melbourne Uni responded immediately to push the margin back beyond five goals.
As the sun poked through the clouds in the final term and the ground dried up, the ball began to travel freely from end to end.
But it was Melbourne Uni who had the polish in front of goal, adding four majors – two in the last minute – to stretch the final margin.
Guttridge was escorted from the field in the dying stages after a heavy collision at half-back, but appeared to be moving freely on the interchange as the siren sounded.
The result didn’t fall the Demons way, but their ability to keep fighting after a challenging start was enough to give them confidence for the remaining two rounds of the season.
Next Sunday Casey will take on the Cats for a second occasion in just four weeks, but this time on home soil at Casey Fields.
CASEY DEMONS 0.0 0.1 1.4 1.6 (12)
MELBOURNE UNI 2.3 3.4 6.4 10.5 (65)
CASEY GOALS
Shevlin
