SWPL Team of the Week – 19th November

Team of the Week from the ScottishPower Women’s Premier League games played on Wednesday 15th, Thursday 16th, and Sunday 19th November.

Written by Jack Donnelly and photo by Ian Cairns

Goalkeeper – Lauren Perry (Montrose)

A second consecutive TOTW appearance, and her third so far this season, Lauren Perry continued to prove her worth as one of Montrose’s most valuable players on Sunday afternoon. The stopper made a whopping 12 saves against Motherwell, as The Mo snatched a point against their Lanarkshire opponents late in the second half.

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Defender – Bryony Ross (Livingston)

A six-goal thriller played out at The Tony Macaroni on Sunday, with Livingston taking the points as Bryony Ross put in a big shift in the back line to see her side through. The defender, who registered a pass accuracy of 72%, stood out with 12 duels won and 18 recoveries made as The Lions kept within three points of Kilmarnock in second.

Defender – Caitlin Hayes (Celtic)

Often the architect in Celtic’s back three, Caitlin Hayes was impressive once again as the Glasgow side ran out 5-0 winners over Hamilton on Sunday. Completing 106 of her 119 attempted passes (for an accuracy of 89%), Hayes looked immovable as she won 17 duels, nine of those coming in the air, and made 10 recoveries of possession, with seven of those coming in Hamilton’s half, showing her desire to play on the front foot.

Defender – Chelsie Watson (Motherwell)

A tricky tie for Motherwell on Sunday, as they shared the spoils on their trip up to Montrose, with defender Chelsie Watson shining for the Lanarkshire side. Aside from scoring Motherwell’s only goal of the game with a powerful close-range header, the 27-year-old completed 79% of her passes, won eight duels and made 15 recoveries of possession.

Defender – Rosie Slater (Partick Thistle)

A huge week for Partick Thistle, they earned two wins from two games and closed the gap on Glasgow City to a single point, with Rosie Slater contributing massively to The Jags’ success. The full back opened her account for the season against Aberdeen with a piledriver from 30 yards out, and stood firm to help Thistle see out a 1-0 win away against Dundee United on Sunday, winning nine duels and making 12 recoveries.

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Midfielder & Star Player – Maria Novoa-Torrente (Boroughmuir Thistle)

Our Star Player this week, Maria Novoa-Torrente makes her second Team of the Week in three weeks after netting a hat-trick in Boroughmuir Thistle’s thumping of Gartcairn. Aside from her fantastic scoring exploits, which saw her triple her tally for the season, the midfielder also won nine duels, made 16 interceptions and made a further 17 recoveries, with 10 of those coming in the opposition half.

Midfielder – Emma Craig (Queen’s Park)

While the Queen’s Park attack ran rampant once again, running out 5-0 winners over Glasgow Women on Sunday afternoon, there was an equally impressive showing from the middle of the park from Emma Craig. The 22-year-old certainly made her mark on her opponents, giving her teammates an assured platform to build on, as she completed 80% of her passes, won 18 duels, and made 21 recoveries of possession.

Midfielder – Lauryn Reside (Kilmarnock)

Every point is precious for Kilmarnock as they look to gain some ground on league leaders Queen’s Park, and winger Lauryn Reside certainly helped her side to three more on Sunday afternoon. Running out 4-0 winners over Stirling University, the 25-year-old scored twice, cleverly chipping the ball up and over Victoria Scarratt for the opener, before sending an effort from the edge of the box into the roof of the net 15 minutes later. Reside also completed seven dribbles from seven attempts, won 18 duels, and made 13 recoveries.

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Forward – Jorian Baucom (Hibernian)

Hibernian claimed bragging rights for the second time this season over city rivals Hearts, with American forward Jorian Baucom scoring twice to see her side over the line at Easter Road on Sunday. Entering double figures for league goals scored this season, the striker was first on the scene to turn home a rebounded Rosie Livingstone strike, before looping a header into the top right corner just three minutes later to double Hibs’ advantage.

Forward – Rio Hardy (Rangers)

Rangers maintained their place at the top of the ScottishPower Women’s Premier League tree with a 2-0 win away against Glasgow City on Sunday, with the high-flying Rio Hardy picking up a brace for her 15th and 16th league goals of the season. The English striker showed precision from the penalty spot, putting her effort just out of Lee Gibson’s reach, and showcased her speed, composure, and tenacity for her second of the afternoon.

Forward – Bayley Hutchison (Aberdeen)

The focal point of Aberdeen’s attack kept pace with the frontrunners in the race for the golden boot this week, bagging her 12th and 13th goals against Partick Thistle and Spartans respectively. Her goal against Thistle saw her fire an exquisite first-time finish past Megan Cunningham, while her goal against Spartans saw her shirk off a blue shirt and finish past Alicia Yates from an impressively tight angle.