Southern & Ettalong 2 – 1 Killarney
After two weeks of playing back-to-back games with a limited squad of just 17 players, Southern were buoyed by the return of several players from injury, including striker Brooke Hardie who suffered a head clash in Round 12 against Umina.
The field at James Browne Oval was not in the best of condition with both teams having to contend with sandy unstable 16-yard boxes but on the plus side, there was no wind this past Sunday which has been a constant of late in the peninsular.
The game started strongly with both teams causing each other issues at either end of the field, but it was Killarney who broke the offside trap and the deadlock first with a diagonal ball through to Tamzyn Fittler who executed well to give the Terriers the lead.
Southern started to find some rhythm on both wings and played some excellent through balls to the strikers, with Abbey Omayao making some excellent saves to keep the visitors in front on the scoreboard.
Eventually, Southern’s hard work paid off and a ball over the top landed at Angela Hooper’s feet who bungled the ball over the line despite the heroic efforts of the Killarney’s goalkeeper to prevent it from doing so.
With a halftime score of 1-1, it was still anyone’s game and it would come down to who wanted it more. Southern continued a high line press and looked to break past the similarly structured defensive line of Killarney.
A quick counterattack from Southern and some clever play resulted in Emily Trengrove converting from short range to make it 2-1, securing all three points for Southern in just their second win in 2023.
“Missed opportunities for Killarney, congrats to Southern,” voiced Adam Tait.
“Both teams have had a tough 2023 campaign following key player losses, whilst other clubs strengthened. We’ve had two weeks of playing with a WPL squad of only 17 players and it’s been great to get a few more players back from injury,” stated Lionesses coach Jules Higginson-Smith.
Jules also added, “Last time we played Killarney we didn’t take our chances and had to settle for a draw. We didn’t want this to happen in our final meeting but knew Killarney would also be seeking a much-needed win. It’s been a tough week for Southern, but our girls were able to edge it on the day Credit to Killarney for continuing to show up each week and hopefully next year the competition will have less disparity.”
Match Official – Stephen Wrightson
Golden Boot Standings –
| 21 | Tahlor Thackray (East Gosford) |
| 18 | Jordan Evans (Kanwal) |
| 15 | Kayla Vanderfield (East Gosford) |
| 13 | Kelly Hogan (East Gosford) |
| 11 | Gabrielle Blanch (Terrigal) |
| 9 | Candice Phelan (Terrigal) |
| 8 | Kelly Hogan (East Gosford), Kate Styles (Umina), Chelsea Campbell (Umina), Hayls Ballard (Kanwal) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
