Minor Semi Final
Umina 4 -2 Kanwal
The defending Premiers keep their season alive after coming from behind to defeat a resilient Kanwal side as the E-Gals now look forward to their Preliminary Final clash this weekend with East Gosford.
The match started evenly with both sides having early chances, but it would be Kanwal who would strike first inside the opening 5 minutes when Jordan Evans was the quickest to react and pounced on a loose ball in the box to score the game’s first goal and give the Bulls a 1-0 lead.
From then on Umina dominated the remainder of the first half, capitalising on the opposition’s errors to score three unanswered goals and enter the break 3-1 up.
Umina got their initial goal ten minutes after conceding when midfielder Kirby Squires played a delightful ball out wide to Hannah Batten who then picked out Hayley Fulwood in the box as Hayley met the ball with a first-time volley and found the back of the net.
Umina took the lead five minutes later after a quick throw-in saw Chelsea Campbell evade two Kanwal defenders and cross the ball into the box, the cross fell to the feet of the opposition defender as her clearance only made it to Kate Styles inside the box who then found teammate Bella DeMeyer who perfectly placed the ball into the bottom left corner.
With only five minutes to play in the first half, a Umina corner from Hayley Fulwood picked out her captain Chelsea Campbell who rose above everyone in the box to meet the ball with her head and guide it into the back stick for Umina’s third of the contest.
The second half saw Kanwal come out with a renewed passion and take the game to Umina. They created plenty of chances whilst limiting Umina as they fought hard to get back in the game.
Kanwal came close to clawing a goal back when Skye Parkes rattled the crossbar but from the ensuing scramble, Kanwal was awarded a penalty. Prolific striker Jordan Evans stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way to set up a tense finish with only five minutes left to play.
With time running out, Kanwal threw everything forward in the hopes of sending the game to extra time. However, another costly mistake proved to be their undoing as Kate Styles found herself behind the Kanwal defence with only the keeper in her path as she expertly tucked the ball away to ensure Umina’s hard-fought victory.
“Full credit to Steve and the Umina players, they made it difficult for us in the first half. Unfortunately for us, we decided to play our worst 45 mins of the season. If it wasn’t for three one-on-one saves from our GK Kim Burke, the game would have been well and truly over at halftime,” explained Bull’s coach Ben Raychaudhuri.
Ben also expressed his happiness with his side’s second-period performance. “I couldn’t be prouder of the girls in the second half. Things were said at halftime and the girls responded as Bulls do. I thought with a bit of luck we could have fought back but we just gave ourselves too much to do with the poor first-half display.”
“All in all, I think this season was a success. The girls closed the gap from last season on the top three sides but most importantly, they started playing with smiles on their faces again,” voiced Ben.
“I have to congratulate our Reserve Grade for an amazing 4-0 win in their Major semi on Sunday. They were simply brilliant to make their 8th GF in a row (2021 COVID not counting) and hopefully they can win the last Reserve Grade title to be played.”
Steve Donaldson also expressed his joy after the win. “I thought we were extremely good the first half. Should’ve probably killed off the game with the chances we created. Kanwal was again really impressive in the second half though. Stopping our attacking play for large parts. However, apart from an unlucky handball in the box, we stood strong defensively allowing very few chances inside the box.”
Steve also added, “Shoutout to our Reserves and junior women’s teams with four out of the five winning their finals games over the weekend too!”
Match Official – Trent Dickeson
Major Semi Final
Terrigal 4 – 1 East Gosford
Terrigal keep their undefeated season intact as Gab Blanch and her squad book their spot in the 2023 WPL Grand Final after coming from behind to score four unanswered goals this past Sunday on the main stage at Pluim Park
It was a fast start to the game that saw East Gosford take an early lead after a wonderful interception from a Rams defender saw the ball fall to Annika Hansen who superbly threaded the ball to the feet of her teammate Tahlor Thackray who calmly finished one-on-one to give East Gosford the lead 13 minutes in.
Terrigal tried to build some momentum early in the first half. East Gosford created a number of early opportunities and could have capitalised on a few defensive lapses by Terrigal. Goalkeeper Mackenzie Walker was pivotal in keeping Terrigal in the game, pulling off a few remarkable saves to keep her side in close contention.
As Terrigal settled into their usual attacking style of play, it was tenacious striker Indiana Moyes who would bring Terrigal back to level, after converting an unlikely chance from wide on the right, scoring in the 25th minute.
With scores level at the break, both teams came out with intensity, and it was clear the game was anyone’s for the taking. Terrigal settled quickly and created multiple opportunities. East Gosford played a longer ball game which at times asked questions of the Terrigal defence.
In the 51st minute, Terrigal’s Candice Phelan scored an absolute worldie, following a pinpoint delivery from the right winger Rachel Darby, Candice timed her run to perfection and converted off her head to give her side the lead.
Just 3 minutes later, Terrigal struck once more. The work rate of striker Indiana Moyes was again rewarded, failure to clear the ball out of the box saw Indiana pounce and belt one home for Terrigal’s third of the night as they continued to build momentum.
East Gosford made it clear they were not lying down and continued to attack from all areas of the park. Terrigal’s defensive unit tested at times, and goalkeeper Mackenzie was called upon for a few close calls.
The contest looked all but done however one last final attack from Terrigal saw a free kick awarded on the edge of the 18-yard box. Midfielder Sophie Piltz stepped up and delivered a perfect far post cross, onto the head of Indiana Moyes for her third of the night, the certainty of a grand final spot now evident as Terrigal celebrated their hard-fought win.
“Well done to East Gosford, they competed to the very end. Despite the scoreline, it was an intense game of football, and they really made it difficult at times for us to play,” spoke Gab.
Gab also voiced the proudness of her side who are now one win away from being crowned Premiers. “I am absolutely pumped for my girls. Their resilience, especially after conceding early, to come back and put four on East Gosford. It’s just the epitome of the character of this team. I am so proud of these girls. They deserve this spot in the grand final!”
Jorge Chavez also commented on the fixture after full-time. “What a game between the two best teams on the coast, the scoreline does not reflect how close the game was. We were forced to make two early substitutes in the first half after going 1-0 up. That changed our game plan a little, but I believe we still created enough chances to win that game. Unfortunately, we switched off for about five minutes and from then on we were just chasing the game.”
“Terrigal’s goalkeeper had a blinder, she saved them plenty of times especially just before the break to keep the game at 1-1. In the second half, she again pulled off some great saves that we should have converted and hopefully, we do next time.”
With his focus now shifted to Umina, Jorge anticipates another tough challenge this weekend. “We now look forward to playing Umina who are a force in finals football, this is where they thrive, and we know we are going to be up for a challenge. We look forward to the game on Sunday and hopefully, we get another crack at Terrigal the following week.”
Match Official – Dylan Watson