Woongarrah v Umina
The Wildcats and the Eagles meet for their highly anticipated rematch in the round 11 match of the round as Umina will be determined to reclaim their spot in the top three while the home side looks to claim their first victory of the season.
When these two sides met at Umina Oval back in April for their initial meeting of the year, it was a 9-goal thriller that saw Umina claim a 5-4 victory against Woongarrah to mark their first game back since re-joining the MPL competition.
Woongarrah’s biggest signing heading into this season, 2023 WPL Golden Boot winner Kelly Hogan, was back to her best in that fixture as she scored all four goals for her side who came up just short.
Head coach Kaine Harmsworth stated his side came away with a lot to learn from that fixture as he reflected on the narrow loss.
“We came away with some great learnings from that game against Umina which will see us better understand key areas that we will take into Sunday’s contest. Hopefully, we will see a different result.”
Harmsworth also touched on how he feels his team is progressing throughout the season. “I think so far, we knew that this was going to be a big growing and learning year for us and we are playing better in the recent weeks.”
“We are definitely trying a few new things so will see where this takes us, but we are excited at the challenge.”
Woongarrah have only managed to score five goals in their following seven fixtures since their opening match with Hogan recording six goals of Woongarrah’s total nine to her name.
Woongarrah have now failed to score in their last three fixtures as the young side is still getting adjusted to the standard of the competition in their first year back.
Despite their run of form not being the greatest, Woongarrah show no signs of giving up or laying over in any of their matches which is a testament to the character of their team and coaching staff.
With plenty still to play for this season, Woongarrah will be determined to turn things which is reassured by their head coach.
“This weekend I think we just need to keep working on all the new things we are trialling, we have been working on a few new things that will definitely challenge us,” voiced Harmsworth.
“We are stepping out of our comfort zone but with everyone on the same page I think the girls will continue to challenge themselves and look to keep improving week in.”
“Umina will definitely come out firing against us like they did in round 1, the girls are excited about the challenge of this weekend and will be up for it.”
Umina enters this weekend coming off a mid-week loss to Kanwal on Wednesday night which saw them slip from third place down to fourth on the WPL ladder.
This was Umina’s first time on the pitch in just under a month as the wet weather continues to wreak havoc for Michael Penn and his side who have struggled immensely in finding a rhythm of playing games and getting on a field to train.
Their inconsistent schedule showed against Kanwal as they leaked four goals for the third time this season in their 4-3 defeat.
Penn spoke on his first season back as head coach so far and also touched on what the rest of the year will look like for his side. “It’s fair to say that ground closures for training and game cancellations have impacted our season but I imagine this would be the same for everyone.”
“We have a belief in ourselves every time we step on the pitch. There is still a long way to go in the season and we will be relentless to ensure we maintain our league standing.”
Penn will be hoping to get back to winning ways and maintain their position inside the top four when they make the long trip down South on Sunday.
“We learnt from our last game that the score from the last game means nothing for the next game. We have to bring our best game every time we step on the pitch,” explained Penn.
“Woongarrah will be eager to reverse their season and bring the game to us so we will need to control the game and take our chances when they occur.”
In what could prove to be a vital game in both Woongarrah’s and Umina’s success this season, you don’t want to miss this one come kick-off on Sunday!
Match Official – Con Pantos
All Round 11 Fixtures –
