MINOR SEMI FINAL
East Gosford 2 – 3 Terrigal
Ninety minutes couldn’t split these two teams as East Gosford and Terrigal heading into extra-time and looked to be heading into penalties only for a late Terrigal goal to solidify their 3-2 victory over the Rams to kept their season alive.
After conceding three goals last weekend when Terrigal met East Gosford, it appeared the O’lasses came out with a more defensive structure to help contain the dangerous front three of the Rams. After losing their captain in their warmup, East Gosford had a late reshuffle to their line-up. Terrigal started the strongest of the two teams, playing with a very deep defensive block and looking to attack with the dangerous Candice Phelan. The defensive block made it difficult for the Rams to get into their normal passing rhythm and at the 7-minute mark, Terrigal’s great start turned into a perfect start after a tremendous goal from Candice Phelan from a Georgah Shearim pass gave Terrigal an early 1-0 lead. Candice Phelan made no mistake of her chance as she found the back of the net to score her 30th goal of the season. The goal gave Terrigal even more confidence as they continued to unsettle the Rams, controlling possession and the game as a whole. Half an hour into the contest Terrigal doubled their lead when Rachel Darby connected off a corner to put her side 2-0 up. The second goal seemed to fire up East Gosford who knew they had to score next if they wanted any chance of getting back into the game. After multiple fouls committed by Terrigal as they looked to upset the rhythm of the Rams. One of these fouls led to a free kick as Kimberley Meyer found Kelly Hogan at the back post who got East Gosford on the scoresheet and provided even more momentum for their comeback attempt. Moments later East Gosford was awarded a penalty that was converted well by the reliable Jessica Dominello as both teams went into the sheds locked at two goals each.
The next 45 minutes of football was a very tense affair with both teams knowing the next goal would be a crucial one. It was very end-to-end football and Terrigal had three great opportunities but was unlucky not to convert these chances into goals. East Gosford thought they had the winning goal but a clearing header on the line would save Terrigal. With both teams throwing all they had at each other, fatigue started to set in. After an exhausting ninety minutes, the scoreline could not separate these two sides as they got ready for another 30 minutes of extra time.
Terrigal continued to weather the storm as they went deeper into their defensive block that managed to stop the Rams from creating any clear goal-scoring opportunities. The game seemed destined to be heading to penalties until the 116thh minute when Blayze Teal dangerously ran down the left flank and her extraordinarily shot from outside the box sailed over the opposition goalkeeper’s head to seal the match. East Gosford made multiple substitutions pushing five upfront, but time wasn’t on their side as Terrigal saw out the 3-2 win to progress to the next match.
Rams coach Jorge Chavez although disappointed to lose the game, had nothing but praise for both sides. “Now that’s why we love this game. Two teams came out and gave it all they had. Credit to Terrigal their defensive structure and tactics didn’t let us get into our usual rhythm of play. My girls were warriors today, they gave it absolutely everything they had and that’s all I can ever ask of them. Our season comes to an end, we must appreciate the season that it was. The growth we had this year was outstanding, to be in the race for first position and finishing third and making finals for the first time in our club’s history is something to be really proud of. We made history and now look forward to 2023!
Gregory Parker commended both of his teams who made it to the next round as he has his eyes set on making the Grand Final in both grades. “It was a great team effort and tonight the ladies showed their mental resilience in extra time. It was an exciting evening of football for women’s football at Terrigal with our Reserve Grade team also showing devastating form to defeat Umina 6-2 to progress through. We now have both teams poised and ready to advance next Sunday in the preliminary finals. This is an amazing effort by the squad and the coaching staff. The job is not finished yet and we will continue to work hard to have both teams in their respective grand finals.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Russell Kirkland
MAJOR SEMI FINAL
Umina 3 – 0 Southern Ettalong
League Champions Umina proved and showed their quality once again this weekend as they booked their spot in the Grand Final with their 3-0 victory over Southern Ettalong who will look to bounce back next week against Terrigal and meet the E-Gals in the final match of the year.
It was Southern Ettalong who started the better of the two sides, controlling the opening 10-15 minutes. The Lionesses enjoyed a lot more territory in the opening stages of the game but could not turn any of their chances into goals as Umina started to work themselves into the game. Umina knew that Southern was going to come out fast as the E-Gals started to settle around the 20-minute mark and started to put a lot of pressure on the opposition defenders who struggled to play balls out of their defence. A goal was looming for the League Champions and eventually came 40 minutes in when a ball was played into a charging Chelsea Campbell who found herself 1-on-1 with the Southern keeper. Campbell was about to put a shot away when a tackle from behind resulted in Umina being awarded a penalty. The reliable Kate Styles stepped up for her side and finished down the middle to give her team a 1-0 advantage at halftime.
Taking the advantage moments before the break, Umina came out determined to increase their lead and it showed on the pitch with the Umina girls wanting it more in the second half. Umina’s second goal came again from a Chelsea Campbell run infield where she was able to play a ball through to Gemma Crowson who buried the ball into the bottom right corner to double Umina’s lead. the E-Gals continued to apply pressure with a lot of resulting corners. Gemma Crowson played in a corner that eventually found Leisel Collins on the edge of the box who smashed in a half volley that nearly ripped the net open. Southern pushed on late but opened themselves up even more on the counter which could have resulted in even more goals, only for a couple of unlucky misses. Umina defended extremely well all contest to keep the Golden Boot winner Emily Diaz scoreless and book their spot in the Grand Final with a convincing 3-0 victory.
“Halftime I thought we had a good chat and put a plan in place, but Umina just came out wanting it more. They once again proved why they are League Champions. We will regroup and focus on Terrigal as it is now do or die for my girls this weekend coming. We know what we are capable of, so we must work hard this week and be ready for Terrigal’s game plan,” spoke Southern’s head coach Marcus Warwick. Warwick also added, “Huge congratulations to the Umina coaching staff and team. They are the first team to beat us twice this year which hurts. It is always hard losing but we must be humble in defeat, come back stronger and hungrier.”
Steve Donaldson has nothing but high praise and respect for the opposition after the game. “Really strong start for Southern. They’re a very intense side with players that can kill off a game within 5 minutes. Full respect for Marcus and how they pay football. I feel our fitness and control of the ball eventually wore them out. Gemma Crowson’s link-up play was reminiscent of her 2020 player of the year form. She brings the best out of everyone else on the team when she is firing and she has brought it at the best possible time. Massive respect to our defence too. A clean sheet against arguably the best front three in the competition is no easy task. Our best defensive display all year and a top performance by every player in the team. A well-deserved week to get ready for the big one.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Rodney Mcleod