Umina v Woongarrah
Round 18 of the Women’s Premier League is titled the Aurelia Haynes Memorial Round as a tribute to Aurelia’s passing. Umina and Woongarrah headline the Aurelia Haynes Memorial Round as all our WPL clubs around the Coast will come together on Sunday in memory of Aurelia.
Umina’s head coach Michael Penn voiced how much Aurelia meant to this team and the club. “The passing of Aurelia has naturally devastated the team, she will always be in our hearts for she was not only a much loved and valued member of our team but also for her tenacity, skill and courage that she showed on the pitch as highlighted by the fact that she was leading the squad’s players player table.”
Penn and Umina are coming off a stellar last outing when his E-Gals were just the second team this season to take points off defending league champions and current league leaders Terrigal.
That contest finished 2-2 as prolific goal scorer Kate Styles was able to record a brace to her name which saw Umina pick up a vital point.
Currently maintaining the last finals spot in fourth, Umina are just one point clear of Killarney who are hot on their tails and even sixth place Kanwal are just one win away from equalling Umina on 17 points as the race for finals heats up in the closing weeks of the 2024 season.
Penn stated that his early remarks about the competition have proved to be true when asked if anything has surprised him or his team this year. “Nothing surprised me from the teams this season, as I mentioned at the start of the season the two teams unaffected by player transition will be the most consistent.”
Umina finish their season with Woongarrah this weekend, followed by East Gosford and Kanwal away before ending their year at home against the Terriers.
Having to encounter the teams they are competing with for a finals position with leaves matters into their own hands as they look to build maximum momentum and take that form into finals.
On paper, Umina faces their easiest challenger this weekend when they come up against last-place Woongarrah. However, in their two previous encounters, it has been a high-scoring affair that Umina has scraped to two wins (5-4, 4-3).
16 goals in 180 minutes of football will suggest this weekend will bring another big scoreline as Umina will be eager to maintain their spot on the ladder and secure crucial points to their name.
When reflecting on these encounters, Penn voiced, “I’ve learnt from all our games that you cannot take any teams for granted and we won’t be doing that this weekend. We have our game plan for this match and the players have reason to be extra motivated to secure the points this weekend.”
Woongarrah’s head coach Kaine Harmsworth sends his condolences to the family and friends of Aurelia ahead of Sunday’s fixture. “This weekend may be the match of the round, however, this weekend is much more than just the football itself”
“This weekend we pay tribute to a young WPL player Aurelia who no doubt will leave a legacy to anyone close or far. Football comes second this week. We acknowledge what life is and the challenges that we may journey.”
“We all here send our condolences to the family and friends. Let’s not only play hard but celebrate the life of someone lost too young.”
Although it hasn’t been the best year for Harmsworth and his side who joined the competition as a new team at the start of the season, their never-say-die attitude must be commended amongst this young squad.
With only one win in 14 fixtures, the Wildcats continue to show up every week and play to their best ability for the entire match even when they are low on numbers and things aren’t quite going their way.
The final few weeks of their inaugural season back in WPL will be a great chance to finish the year on a high and continue to build those foundations for next season as they look to come back even stronger.
“I believe that we have definitely been consistent in sour improvements over the year. To get on a roll to finish the season would be a great reward for the hard work that they have put in this year,” stated Harmsworth.
“I don’t think anything has surprised me this year from the competition, we knew that this was going to be a big step only having four of our team having experience in WPL with nine of our girls still eligible to play u/18’s.”
Harmsworth also added, “Looking at results over the past few years through the WPL competition, the girls have been a lot more competitive than I believe some people out there would have thought.”
Woongarrah knows they have what it takes to match it with the opposition after scoring seven goals past Umina so far in 2024. For the Wildcats, a big emphasis this weekend will be keeping their defence strong and looking to pick up a clean sheet like they did in their only win of the year against Killarney.
Harmsworth knows of the quality Umina bolster in the squad but suggests if his team can play their style of football it will be another close battle between the two sides.
“Umina definitely play all the way through to the final whistle. We need to make sure that we play to the final whistle and just squeeze that pressure which will hopefully allow us to play the way we want.”
Match Official – Peter Hall
All Round 18 Fixtures –
