The Entrance 1 – 0 Southern & Ettalong
This week’s match of the round was an extra special occasion in Women’s Division One. The Entrance only needed one point from the match against their closest competitors, Southern, to secure the championship.
Exciting as the prospect was, Southern were more than capable of handing The Entrance their first loss of the season. Alongside Avoca, Southern came to the match as one of only two teams to take points off the would-be undefeated champions.
However, when all was said and done, the hosts at Pat Morley Oval would cement their greatness and clinch first place in a tight clash in which the sides were only separated by one goal.
The match began with both sides very aware of what was at stake, leaving both sides cautious that the other would look to strike early, forcing a bit of a stalemate.
Slowly though, both teams would begin to expand and settle into contrasting gameplans.
Southern aimed to link its midfielders and wingers by quickly passing the ball inside to draw defenders before sending it out to open space on the wings.
While The Entrance preferred to play as they have all season, pressing high and running the other team into the ground, fully prepared to unleash attacks the second Southern made a mistake.
Despite the teams working into the game, the defensive efforts of both teams left the game with limited chances.
This didn’t stop The Entrance from progressing well, though, and their first chance of the game came around halfway into the first half.
It began when Eagles right winger Darci Carroll received the ball, driving into the box with a great sight of goal. She laid it off to her striker Lisa Bullivant, who Southern swarmed, but she still managed to get the ball back to her winger, who shot this time around, only for the ball to sail just over the bar, keeping the game deadlocked.
In comparison, Southern struggled to penetrate the final third. While their game plan initially showed promise, the great Entrance defence, headlined by Jasmine Beacroft, was proving too difficult to get through. This resulted in a display that perfectly showcased why they have only conceded a remarkable seven goals so far this season.
However, there was almost an incredibly shocking moment when Beacroft lost the ball to Southern’s Letisha McCormack just outside the Entrance box. Suddenly, from nothing, the Lions had a chance. McCormack shot almost instantly before The Entrance could react, but the shot went just wide of the far post, keeping the clean sheet intact.
Then, at the other end not long after, Southern would gift a chance back to the hosts when their keeper, Morgan Ross, sent a goal kick straight to the feet of Bullivant, who sprinted into the box unchallenged to face off one-on-one with Ross who pulled off the save when Bullivant sent the show low to her feet.
There would only be one more clear-cut chance of the half that fell McCormack’s way when she got onto the ball inside the Entrance box and found herself duelling with Beacroft. Just as it seemed she managed to get around her defender, Eagles keeper Cara Maxwell rushed out to collect the ball just next to her near the post on the right, leaving Southern frustrated.
The rest of the half would play out in a tight fashion. Dinna Hutchinson, at right-back, did well in defence for the Lions, shutting down her side, but Carroll constantly lurked and put in good runs for The Entrance down the other.
It would remain goalless, however, leaving The Entrance in the driver’s seat to become champions.
In the second half, it seemed very apparent that The Entrance knew they were only 45 minutes away from being crowned champions, but not in a way that made them nervous, in a way that reminded them just how great of a side they are.
As such, early in the half, the hosts struck to open the scoring not long after the resumption.
The goal came from the penalty spot, a penalty earned when another shanked goal kick from Ross went to Carroll. Carroll then passed the ball to Mia Hansen, the second striker for The Entrance. Hansen pushed into the box and unleashed a powerful shot on goal that struck a Southern defender’s hand, leaving the ref to point to the spot.
Bullivant stepped up to take the penalty and made no mistake, confidently putting the ball into the top left of the goal, leaving Ross with no chance to save.
With the breakthrough secured, the Eagles’ chances began to pile up, and they pushed hard to find a second and put the game to bed.
Here is where Ross came into her own in the game, keeping her side in the contest with a great save.
It came from a brilliant long shot by Hayley Blunden, who was playing a holding midfielder role for The Entrance. Blunden noticed Ross was off her line and, halfway into the attacking half, sent in a swirling and dipping shot that looked destined to end up in the net until Ross just managed to tip the ball over the crossbar.
More chances would follow with Hansen running onto a perfectly placed long throw from Carroll. Hansen, entirely behind the Southern line down the right wing, would take it to the byline before putting in a perfect cutback across the box, but her teammates overran it, leaving things at 1-0.
After weathering this storm, Southern would attempt to work back into the game, coming close twice.
Both chances came thanks to the unending efforts of Elaine McConaghey, the first of which was a free kick from just outside the box that she sent in. It was a fast and curling effort, but Maxwell proved more than up to saving it.
The second may have been the Lion’s best chance of the lot. It arrived when a lovely chipped through-ball from McConaghey was put into the box, where McCormack again duelled with the defence. This time, she got her shot off, getting her foot under the ball and attempting to dink it into the top of the net. Yet, the ball went sailing over the bar, and for The Entrance, it was almost time to celebrate.
And celebrate they did, with no further chances coming, largely thanks to the brilliant defensive efforts of Eagles substitutes Shelby Wharton at centre-back and Samantha West at right-back; the whistle sounded full-time 1-0, officially giving The Entrance an unassailable lead on the ladder and crowning them champions of Division One.
This will surely not be the last we see of these teams, with both set to be key players in the finals, but for now, it’s The Entrance who stand alone. They are now the perfect example of just how good Women’s Division One is and will continue to be into next season.
Hearing from the champions’ coach, Tony Cabarrus, he noted his opponents’ quality while embracing his undefeated side’s brilliant achievements.
“South Ettalong is a worthy opponent and gave us a good fight”, Cabarrus began.
“But we had prepared all week for this game, and in the end, our game plan was successful albeit hard fought.
“We are minor premiers, and no team can take that away from us.”
Southern coach Emmanual Papi congratulated the champions and looked forward to the finals, where his side will have another chance to battle it out with the best.
“The Entrance have had an amazing season, full credit to how they played today”, Papi began.
“We, in parts, had some good opportunities to level the game or put the game away.
“But they have just been great competitors throughout this whole season, and I’m just looking forward to meeting them in the finals”.
Match Official – John Shaw
Written by Mark Goodyear
Women’s Division 1 Results –
Men’s Division 1 Results –
