Toppserien 2015

[law10]

LSK and Røa are now 1-2 in the league, each having won five one goal games.

LSK 1-0 Stabæk
LSK 1-0 Medkila
LSK 1-0 Sandviken
LSK 1-0 Avaldsnes
LSK 1-0 Arna-Arna-Bjørnar

Røa 3-2 Amazon Grimstad
Røa 1-0 Vålerenga
Røa 1-0 LSK
Røa 2-1 Medkila
Røa 2-1 Sandviken

Røa's goals today from both central defenders.

[Alan]

The round starts early:

Friday:

Medkila v Arna-Bjørnar
1-0 Rosie Malone-Povolny 40
2-0 Rosie Malone-Povolny 48
2-1 Vilde Bøe Risa 67
2-2 Åsne Takle Eide 85
2-3 Maria Brochmann (pen) 90
 
Saturday:
   
LSK Kvinner v Trondheims-Ørn
0-1 Hege Nordvik 10
1-1 Lene Mykjåland 19
2-1 Emilie Haavi 54
3-1 Lene Mykjåland 64
3-2 Lisa-Marie Utland 89
   
Sandviken v Vålerenga 0-0
          
Klepp v Amazon Grimstad
1-0 Gry Tofte Ims 69
2-0 Hege Hansen 90

Stabæk v Kolbotn  postponed to August 11
      
Sunday:
   
Avaldsnes v Røa  http://livestream.com/accounts/3724833/events/4218831
1-0 Elise Thorsnes 54

[law10]

LSK is running away, Avaldsnes will keep them honest but the big entertainment this year is the dogfight at the drop zone.  Four teams with a single win in nine matches and two of them playing today.  Medkila up 2-0 on 50' thanks to a pair from Rosie Malone-Povolny.  Turbo Tina in after the half and out 12 minutes later, hope it's not a serious injury.

And not so fast, Vilde Bøe Risa brings the Bears within one with about 25' left.  Sure to be an intense finish.

And now drawn with 5' left, that goal took Medkila from 9th back to 12th.

And the death strike at 90'.

Hell of a comeback for Arna Bjørnar.  In the 90' the sequence was Erin McNulty red, Maria Brochmann yellow and Maria Brochmann winning goal.

[Alan]

Turbo Tina in after the half and out 12 minutes later, hope it's not a serious injury.

She looks ok, on the far right in this selfie by Åsne Takle Eide:

[Alan]

14:00 Røa - Klepp, Ullern artificial pitch
15:00 Amazon Grimstad - Stabæk, Levermyr stadium
15:00 Kolbotn - LSK Kvinner, Sofiemyr stadium
15:00 Arna-Bjørnar - Sandviken, Arna Sports Park
15:00 Vålerenga - Avaldsnes, Vallhall
15:00 Trondheims-Ørn - Medkila, DnB Arena

[law10]

Big win for Arna-Bjørnar, their heroics last weekend have awoke a sleeping giant.  Emilie Naitnes and Maria Brochmann with a pair a piece in a statement over Sandviken and separating them from the drop zone by a healthy margin.

For the relegation battle, the other teams didn't lose by five but nonetheless came away empty handed as well.

Medkila fought their way back to a split, but for the second week in a row lose in the 90th minute.  This time to Marthe Enlid, Trondheim's late game sub.

Amazon Grimstad had Marit Fiane Grødum back but go down 2-3 to Stabæk on a pair by Melissa Bjånesøy.  A big win for Stabæk as well, pushing them out of danger and getting them to .500  with an even number of wins, losses and ties (3-3-3).

Three teams in the league battling with one win a piece (Sandviken, Amazon Grimstad and Medkila).  After a couple of playoff defenses against first division teams to stay up, the odds would be good for the second-last Toppserien team again this year (against what looks like Grand Bodø or Urædd).  But one of the three will suffer the slings and arrows with no second chance.

Key dates:

Aug 29: Amazon Grimstad hosts Medkila
Sep 05:  Medkila hosts Sandviken
Sep 26:  Amazon Grimstad hosts Sandviken

After that it's five rounds to the finish line where it gets harder for them to grab points, especially for Amazon Grimstad who close out the season with a run that will be hard to take anything from.

Medkila:  Klepp, Røa, Vålerenga, Arna-Bjørnar, Trondheims-Ørn
Sandviken:  Avaldsnes, Klepp, Røa, Vålerenga, Arna-Bjørnar
Amazon Grimstad: Trondheims-Ørn, Avaldsnes, Kolbotn, Klepp, Stabæk

Avaldsnes hold on to a Rosana goal in the 53' minute to get past Vålerenga on the turf in the Valhall in Oslo.  Couple of late game subs to kill the clock.  You would think Guro Pettersen would have had a busy day today.  Yoreli Ricon got about 20 minutes work today.  Avaldsnes now have a local four-day double-header with the hot Arna-Bjørnar Bears, at home Tuesday in the Cup and then in Bergen on the weekend in league.  After that they run Trondheims-Ørn, Klepp, Kolbotn, Stabæk and LSK.  That run will likely determine the champion.

Kolbotn leveled against LSK after 53', but LSK got the match-winner 15 minutes from time and Haavi added another 30m chip late which no doubt while Kolbotn was pressing for the equalizer.  Kolbotn with two debutantes today, Fanny Andersson with her 50+ Swedish caps and Cambria Danielle Privett from UCLA Irvine.  Applause today at Sofiemyr Stadium for Kolbotn's victorious youth teams as they received their trophies and flowers at half-time.  Wonderful way to do it.

The game log say's LSK were completely deserving with a couple of crossbars as well.  It also say's Andrine Tomter had an impressive comeback today and no doubt.  She has impressive match mentality.

LSK are away on the grass at Nadderud next weekend but it's sandwiched by a pair against Amazon Grimstad.  Tuesday away in Cup and the following weekend home in league.

LSK is the only team to have lost just a single match.

Røa in their temporary home at Ullerbannen find the net for four times the first time this season and with four different goalscorers, including Inger Katrine Bjerke with her second in as many games.  Good timing for things clicking as the commanding win usurps Klepp in the medal standings.  Not a good start for Klepp going down 0-1 on 10 minutes and then 0-2 on 25.

Sarpsborg surprisingly in the cellar of the first division.  Wasn't long ago they were in a U19 final was it?  Against Grand Bodø and the Jensen twins?  Everyone must have flown the coop or been plucked from the nest.

[law10]

Some unusual results yesterday, but first the expected.  Avaldsnes puts five past Arna Bjørnar's new Texan goalkeeper to welcome her in style, including the first three minutes into the match and the last from Karina Sævik in the 19 year-old's quasi-testimonial match.

Avaldsnes are now the hottest team in the Toppserien with six straight wins and a goal differential of 23-2.  They last match they lost was over three months ago.

That's about the end of it for predictability.

Klepp had fallen off form and like Vålerenga had lost three of their past four (both including Cup) but got a pair from Hege Hansen as well as a late one from Maria Thórisdóttir to make their the trip to the Valhall a success.  Only Tina Wulf in the 81st minute found the net for Vålerenga.

LSK drops points in a goalless draw at Nadderud.  Going into the match Stabæk had dropped points in seven matches to LSK's one.  The first close match of the season LSK has been in which they didn't win.  Stabæk's added-time Cup win must have buoyed their spirits and given them some self-belief, which Avaldsnes will appreciate.

Sandviken and Amazon Grimstad both serve notice they're not going let Vålerenga, Arna Bjørnar and Stabæk relax just yet.  Sandviken go into Trondheim and silence Lisa-Marie Utland and the home crowd.  The Eagles have now only taken points from Medlkila in their past four league outings.

Amazon Grimstad scores twice in the first nine minutes and defend visiting Røa afterwards for the result.  It's critical for the relegation zone teams to pull these upsets and in the bronze race a difficult slip for Røa with Klepp and Kolbotn on track.

The strangest result of the day was Kolbotn feasting on Medkila at Sofiemyr with a double-digit barrage of goals.  It took them 15 minutes to find the inside of the net but then they found it at a rate of once every seven minutes after that.  For Medkila it's seven straight league losses and on deck are
Stabæk and LSK in league and Stabæk in Cup.  After that frightful stretch they run their critical matches against Amazon Grimstad and Sandviken.

The Stabæk/Kolbotn make-up match is Tuesday at Nadderud.

[law10]

Full slate of games today, in order of likely result with favourites in bold:

LSK - Amazon Grimstad @15:00
- LSK 20X favoured
- LSK drawn by Stabæk last week, previously four straight wins
- Amazon Grimstad upset Røa, previously five straight losses

Medkila - Stabæk @15:00
- Stabæk 18X favoured
- Stabæk two wins in past five but unbeaten in four
- Medkila seven straight losses

Avaldsnes - Trondheims-Ørn @15:00
- Avaldsnes 6X favoured
- Avaldsnes hottest team in the league with six straight wins
- Trondheim loss to Sandviken last weekend and only a win hosting Medkila since the break

Sandviken - Kolbotn @14:00
- Kolbotn 3X favoured
- Sandviken upset Trondeim last weekend and beat Klepp in Cup days before but were three games without a win before that including 0-5 to Arna-Bjørnar
- Kolbotn lost 0-1 to Stabæk but scored almost 20 the week before (10 on Medkila and 9 on Fortuna Ålesund in Cup)

Klepp - Arna-Bjørnar @15:00
- Klepp 2X favoured
- Klepp have lost three of their past five but rebounded from their 1-4 Røa loss and beat Vålerenga 3-1
- Arna-Bjørnar who had been two back to back wins (and finally on a roll) were 2-3 against Alvadsnes early in the year and unlucky to lose but were taken apart 0-5 by them at home last weekend

Røa - Vålerenga @15:00
- Røa 2X favoured
- Vålerenga are winless in four with only a win against Medkila since the break, including the heartbreaking 10-player loss to Stabæk in Cup
- Røa who were upset by Amazon Grimstad last weekend are a pair of wins and losses since the break and have five players out and five in, including Sofie Skjelstad Jensen who has moved to Tromsø and transferred to Fløya

[law10]

With a second back-to-back tie today the title fell in LSK's lap.  They are now 7 points clear of Avaldsnes.  Big point for Klepp, not in that it helps them much in the standings, but more so knowing they took it from a team loaded to the brim with talent.

[law10]

With back to back wins the hottest teams in the league are Stabæk and Sandviken.

Lots of last-minute transfer activity after last weeks moves.  Arna-Bjørnar and Vålerenga each bring in a pair of Americans as relegation insurance while LSK bring in a well-versed Swedish striker and Medkila sign the Georgian captain from Turkey.

[law10]

The most obvious things today are Lene Mykjåland's four goals to take her to a tie at the top of the scorers list, and Sandviken moving above Arna-Bjørnar in the table.  Last year Sandviken were a league down and their neighbours were Toppserien Bronze medalists.

Avaldsnes mops up with Kolbotn but after their two drops need LSK to drop points in 2/7 games remaining... as well as taking full points themselves in all eight games they have remaining.

Røa handily over the Bears to pinch third from Klepp who were put down by Trondheims-Ørn.

Vålerenga ekes past Amazon Grimstad and grabs full points in a key match from a late Rikke Storrø goal.  The Southerners are now four points back of digging out of relegation.  Could it be yet another playoff to stay in the league?

Sandviken are on a roll and tied Stabæk at Nadderud today, quite an accomplishment as Stabæk were unbeaten in seven and their last loss at home was October against Wolfsburg, and their last league loss at home was 2012 against Røa.