MATCH OF THE ROUND
Terrigal 0 – 3 East Gosford
East Gosford sends a message to the rest of the top four ahead of the finals with a statement win over WPL heavyweights Terrigal.
Terrigal started the contest brightly and on the front foot and looked extremely threatening on their early attacks, especially from corners and crosses into the box but was unable to convert on these opportunities. Slowly East Gosford managed to get themselves in the contest and keep some possession of the ball and started to break down Terrigal’s defence. The Rams front three started to find connections that seemed to trouble Terrigal’s defence with both Kelly Hogan and Kayla Vanderfield unlucky not to find the opening goal. It was a corner from Jessika Fox that managed to find an unmarked in-form Kelly Hogan in the box who found the back of the net with her effort to give her side the lead. A few minutes later Kayla Vanderfield managed to find herself through on goal and this time made no mistake finding the back of the net and gifting her side a well-deserved 2-0 lead at the break.
With their season potentially on the line, Terrigal came out and started the second half like they did the first, putting pressure on East Gosford’s goal and were unlucky not to find that elusive goal. After a reshuffle in the line-up at the half due to injuries, it took a while for the Rams to get into their rhythm in the second period. It was their in-form striker Kelly Hogan who looked dangerous every time she touched the ball. Hogan was able to seal the game with her second of the evening and the third for her team as the Rams recorded a 3-0 victory.
“Congratulations to East Gosford who withstood our early attack and counterattacked extremely well. We played some good football at times and had many chances but could not convert. We turned the ball over and became frustrated. East Gosford was deliberate and composed on the ball and stuck to their game plan. A week is a long time in football, and we will regroup and look forward to a rematch in the minor semi-final. Congratulations to our squad who made the finals in Reserve Grade as well. This is a big achievement for the club,” said Assistant coach Peter Blair when reflecting on the game.
Jorge Chavez spoke about the history that has been made by his team qualifying for finals and what a great effort it has taken for everyone involved. “What a great way to finish off the regular season with two teams playing football with respect and great intensity. Unfortunately for Terrigal, they had a few players out today due to their physical game the week before. To our girls what an amazing season we have had. We have created history for the club as this is the first time our WPL First Grade has made the finals. It has been a full club effort from the committee down to the players, coaching staff, and supporters. This includes past coaches and players who have all played a part to get us where we are today. We now look forward to the privilege of playing finals football and giving it all we have to make it our first GF and continue to create history.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Rodney Mcleod
Ourimbah 0 – 6 Umina
Umina wraps up the competition with an empathic 6-0 win as the E-Gals are crowned WPL 2022 League Champions for the second time in the club’s history.
Ourimbah started the game with its established defensive system with the idea of blocking and limiting Umina’s shots on target. To a good degree the Falcons had success with their gameplan however Umina were able to find their opening goal after a Kate Styles shot took a deflection and the ball slowly dribbled past the Ourimbah keeper and into the back of the net. Umina continued to create chances by playing the ball down the left and right flank to try to break down Ourimbah’s compact defence. Umina entered the break two goals to the good after Chelsea Campbell beat her marker one-on-one and played it into Hannah Batten who finished it her chance with ease.
Ourimbah decided to alter their formation to a more attacking system in the second period, knowing that pushing players forward would expose their defensive areas to the risk of conceding more goals. Umina enjoyed more of the possession in the second half and was clinical in front of goal as they went on to add another four goals to their name. Hannah Batten got herself on the scoresheet for a second time while Hayley Fulwood, Kirby Squires, and Tori Sheriff all grabbed a goal to their names as the scoreline finished 6-0 and Umina was crowned League Champions.
Dave Hurley stated he was thrilled with the way his team conducted themselves in the later part of the season. “Overall, I’m very happy with the second half of this season and how our team has shown continued improvement.”
Steve Donaldson had high praise for the opposition post-match. “Solid performance and season from Ourimbah who have shown they can mix it with the best this season. Keen to see them be even more competitive next year.” Donaldson also went on to add, “I said at the start of the year that League Champions was our main goal this year and there is so much more work involved to win it. We had an honest chat halfway through the year about really poor attendance at training and overall dedication and we haven’t looked back. We’ve added to that by winning the Club Championship which is a huge squad achievement. Massive thanks to Reserve Grade and Shane the coach who has been unreal too, as both grades have gone undefeated in the second half of the season. Every game has been a challenge holding the “favourites” tag, but we’ve held strong.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Christopher Pearce
Woy Woy 1 – 2 Southern Ettalong
Woy Woy falls short of finals football as Southern Ettalong solidify their spot in second place as they now focus their attention on facing League Champs Umina in the first week of finals Football.
It was a great start to the day for Southern Ettalong as their Reserve Grade side recorded a 4-0 win to be crowned 2022 WPL Reserve Grade League Champions. Southern used the momentum from their Reserve Grade win to start their match against Woy Woy on top and with the wind in their favour which the Lionesses used well to open the scoring from an Emily Trengrove corner. Less than a minute after grabbing their first, Emily Diaz made the most of a defensive lapse from Woy Woy to double the lead for her side at 2-0 which they carried into halftime.
After dominating the first half, the second period was a very different story as Woy Woy, who now had the wind in their favour, dominated possession and should have grabbed a goal early in the second half only to be denied by the post. With two of their players going down and unable to return to the field, Southern could not wait for the final whistle. Woy Woy continued to push hard to get themselves a goal and back in the game and with less than 5 minutes to go as they broke their deadlock through Laura Mundy. With their season on the line, Woy Woy ran out of time as they fell two points short of finals football. Congratulations to Southern’s Emily Diaz who finishes the year with 38 goals to her name and as the 2022 WPL Golden Boot winner.
Marcus Warwick had kind words for the opposition as he spoke about how hard his squad has worked and can’t wait for the Finals. “Woy Woy is an incredible team with great individuals, I think as a new team with a little more time to get they will become a team that is very hard to defeat. A huge day for my girls, celebrating Reserves premieres and second place in First Grade. We have worked hard and earnt everything we have achieved, I could not be prouder of every member of the Lionesses squad. Bring on finals, we will fight until the very end.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Christopher Robinson
Wyong 0 – 5 Killarney
Killarney finishes their year off with a win on the road as Wyong finish the year winless but wraps up their year recording their smallest defeat of the season.
Killarney started strong and with just 5 minutes gone Holly Collins was able to finish off a move to take Killarney 1-0 up. Some more pressure from Killarney saw the Wyong keeper make a desperate save only for Tori Robertson to score Killarney’s second goal and extend their lead. Killarney was able to grab their third before halftime when a Tajsha Birrell corner ended up in the back of the net as the Terriers went into the break at 3-0.
Wyong frustrated Killarney with their defence efforts as the Emu’s backline worked well together and it was only with about 10 minutes to go that Killarney got their fourth goal as Tori Robertson found herself on the scoresheet for the second time that day. Killarney’s final goal of the day came by the way of Jessie Andrews as Killarney ended the season with their second biggest victory of the year.
Adam Tait commended the Wyong squad for their tremendous effort week in and week out this year. “We created opportunities but didn’t finish them off. Full Credit to Wyong for their efforts for the season.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Con Pantos
Golden Boot Standings –
| 38 | Emily Diaz (Southern) |
| 29 | Candice Phelan (Terrigal) |
| 23 | Kelly Hogan (East Gosford) |
| 16 | Kate Styles (Umina) |
| 14 | Laura Mundy (Woy Woy) |
| 12 | Kayla Vanderfield (East Gosford), Hannah Batten (Umina) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
