Women’s Grand Final
The Entrance 3 – 3 Southern & Ettalong
The Entrance won 4-1 on Penalties
The Women’s Division One Grand Final was a match for the ages at Pluim Park on Sunday afternoon. It took place between the division’s best teams across the season: the undefeated champions, the Entrance Eagles, and the second-placed Southern & Ettalong Lions.
It was an instant classic of a game where Southern led on three different occasions, only for the Champions to equalise all three times and force a penalty shootout.
The Entrance would finally prevail and finish their season invincible, a remarkable feat achieved by a remarkable side.
Just two weeks prior, the same pair clashed in the first round of the finals and on that day, the Eagles ran out 4-0 victors, so it’s safe to say Southern came in as underdogs.
The Lions qualified for the final by beating Avoca in a penalty shootout the week before, and they wanted to make the most of their efforts by starting off rapidly.
The first of the afternoon came in only the 6th minute when a cross in from the right side of the Southern attack made its way to Eliza Forkin, who held her back to The Entrance defence before managing to hook her foot around to shoot just on the 6-yard box in front of goal, and suddenly the net was rippling, and it was 1-0.
Eagles keeper Cara Maxwell was left with no chance, and now the Entrance were in a position they had barely been in all year; they were behind.
It echoes the first match of the round this season, in which these two teams faced off and Southern took an early lead, but this time, the comeback would be much more dramatic.
However, the champions wouldn’t strike back anytime soon, and Southern would push hard to double their advantage, taking most of the chances throughout the first half.
One such half-chance came when Emily Trengrove put in a deep freekick towards Maxwell that Southern’s Hannah Davidson sprinted towards in the box. It looked to be a routine save for Maxwell, but Davidson got close and forced her to fumble the ball. Yet, The Entrance defence forced Davidson wide, and the chance faded.
The Entrance then had their first chance of the game when their right winger Darci Carroll delivered a corner that found her teammate Lisa Bullivant in the box, but her shot was deflected over the bar, keeping them behind.
Surprisingly, The Entrance could not dictate terms as they had in so many games earlier this season; Southern was troubling them. But one thing did remain intact: the brilliant defence of their centre-backs, Shelby Wharton and captain Jasmine Beacroft.
For all of the attacking Southern did, they were denied so many chances just by the sheer tenacity of The Entrance defence.
Not long after Bullivant’s shot, Beacroft was tasked with facing off with Southern’s attacking midfielder, Letisha McCormack. On this occasion, the defender won out, blocking two of McCormack’s shots and confidently clearing the ball away.
At the back, the Entrance remained composed, but so did Southern, whose centre-backs Trengrove and Lora Bollom also defended well and were a large part of why the Entrance had such limited chances.
That would be enough to take the game into halftime at 1-0, but most of the excitement was yet to come.
The second half would start slowly for both teams. Eagles striker Mia Hansen would shoot early after getting behind the Southern line, but her angle on goal was too tight, and HarzlLippl would save for the Lions.
Then Bollom and Trengrove would each prevent an Entrance attacker from getting a clear sight of the goal, and at this moment, Southern may have been content with protecting their lead.
However, next, something vital happened. It was innocuous at the time, but just before the 60th minute, Carroll would be subbed off for the returning Nyah Kay in her first game back from a knee dislocation she suffered mid-season; remember her name.
Nothing would change at first. In fact, Southern would have the next best chance, and it may have been their best chance to ice the game in the entire match.
The chance came when McCormack had a shot blocked on the edge of the box, causing it to dribble limply over the penalty spot. Southern’s left winger Brooke Hardie, who had been hassling the Entrance defence all game with her constant pressing and speed, got onto it, looking to score with a clear sight of goal. But she stumbled, and Wharton cleared, keeping the game crucially at only 1-0.
The clock seemed to tick ever faster now as the Entrance toiled away without being able to create clearcut chances.
Around the 82nd minute, the Entrance showed signs of life when Bullivant put in a dangerous cross from the right that bounced just in front of Hansen. Had she gotten anything on it, she would’ve tapped it in, but she just missed, and the ball would go out.
For this brief moment, it felt like Southern may have pulled off the upset, but then the goal finally came.
In the 85th minute, The Entrance were throwing everything they could forward, and Hansen once again found herself in a position to cross.
This time, she was cutting in from the left along the byline, and she beautifully lofted the ball to the far post where the substitute Kay was waiting unmarked to head home and make it 1-1.
It was a stunning sequence that amazed all the spectators at Pluim Park, but really, it’s just what this Entrance team is all about. They don’t lose, and if they were finally going to, it wouldn’t be without scoring.
The Lions kept fighting, and Hardie managed to cut into the box from the left late in regular time, only to be emphatically stopped by a sliding Wharton, sending the Entrance fans into a massive cheer.
This ultimately saw the game go into extra time, and things only intensified as four goals were scored across the additional 30 minutes.
The first was a moment of pure magic from Letisha McCormack. In the 98th minute, she found herself in some space to the left of the field just as she entered the final third. She’d struggled to find space throughout the match, so it wouldn’t have surprised anyone if she had driven into the box and tried to get a shot off. But she didn’t do that; she shot straight away. Striking the ball with her left foot, McCormack sent the ball high into the air, and everyone in the grandstand immediately knew the ball was dipping towards the far side of the goal. Maxwell saw it late but couldn’t get a touch on it despite a valiant effort, and miraculously, it was 2-1 to the Lions.
It was a goal worthy of winning a Premiership, but the Entrance had other plans.
In the closing stages of the first half of extra time, the Entrance thought they had tied things up when Kay had a shot that rebounded off the near post from the right to the feet of Bullivant. Bullivant got the ball centrally in the box and took a moment before confidently placing the ball into the bottom left corner. However, Kay had sprinted through after her attempt and ended up on the goal line right where Bullivant sent it. Kay got the slightest touch on it as she attempted to jump over the ball and was eventually called offside after the ref consulted his linesman.
The second goal of extra time would still be the Eagles’ second equaliser though. It came in the second half when Angela Cabarrus pressed high and forced a mistake at the back for Southern, striking a ball as it was passed around the box and getting enough on it that it rolled all the way into the net for 2-2 in the 112th minute.
Immediately following this, Southern would retake the lead 3-2, and it was McCormack once again, this time running onto a through ball that split the Entrance defence. It was a pinpoint pass that allowed McCormack to battle the defenders and win the ball as she entered the box before finding a smart and controlled finish as the ball bounced around, pushing it wide of Maxwell and into the goal in the 113th minute.
This felt like it would surely be it; there’s only so much resilience a team can muster, and the Eagles had given everything they had all game and still found themselves behind.
And yet, they still believed. Their coach, Tony Cabarrus, stated that after the game, even with 6 minutes left in extra time and losing, he thought they could win.
The final equaliser did come, and it came once again from the super-sub Nyah Kay, who elevated her return game from great to iconic with the 6th and final goal of the game.
Kay, in some open space to the right of goal outside the box, sees the Southern defence swarming to get in front of her and decides not to take them on. Instead, she shoots, and it’s an absolute bullet, swirling in the air and on target for the top of the net. Lippl dived for it but just barely missed, and in the 115th minute, it was 3-3.
With no goals left to come and things tied up at the end of extra time, it only means one thing: a penalty shootout.
It’s fitting in a way that not even 120 minutes could split the two best teams of the season in Women’s Division One, but that doesn’t make penalties any less heartbreaking or nerve-wracking.
The Entrance would shoot first, and Bullivant stepped up to take it, confidentially sliding the ball past Lippl to the left of goal for 1-0.
Elaine McConaghey, the Southern captain, would then take for the Lions, putting a perfect penalty into the top right corner and evening things up at 1-1.
The Eagles’ captain was up next, and Beacroft produced a penalty similar to Bullivant’s, rolling it home to the left and making it 2-1.
Emma Connolly would go next for Southern, but her strike would go over the crossbar, putting the Entrance in the front seat and leaving the score 2-1.
Kay would then make it 3-1 for the Entrance, going for power down the middle.
Forkin was next as the pressure began to mount for the Lions. Her penalty was brilliantly saved by Maxwell to her right, with a decisive diving save keeping it out of the left of the goal.
This meant the Entrance only needed to score to win it all, and Karen Doutty was the woman selected to go for it.
Doutty stepped up and smacked it into the right of goal, seeing the Entrance cement themselves as invincible, producing one of the most spectacular seasons across all competitions this year.
The Eagles rejoiced as the Lions huddled to remind themselves just how incredible it was that they came so close.
It was an unforgettable match worthy of an unforgettable season in Women’s Division One, and both teams should be proud of being part of it.
After the match, the Entrance coach, Tony Cabarrus, spoke about the tactics that kept his team in it and his belief that his girls would find a way to win.
“South Ettalong had a point to prove, and they pressed from the front and played more directly through the middle, which allowed them to score an early great goal”, Cabarrus said.
“In the second half, they started playing defensively, which allowed us to use three strikers, giving us the equaliser.
“In extra time, both teams played to their strengths. South Ettalong playing direct, and The Entrance using triangles to move the ball and score.
“It was a great game, and either team could have been worthy winners. It is a shame that it was decided on penalties, but I thought that we were the stronger and fitter team, so that helped us in the end.
“I am extremely proud of my team. Their determination and work ethic was so evident in that game, and the result was the cherry on top for such an excellent season”.
While his opposite number Emmanual Papi praised the Premiers and reflected on the year his side were able to put together.
“Congratulations to the Entrance on an amazing effort and performance all season. I’m excited to see what they can accomplish in the seasons to come” Papi began.
“Southern and Ettalong FC (SEUFC) brought me in this year to help build something special with the DIV 1 Women’s team and I believe we did just that and more. We’ve laid out a blueprint for our juniors to follow but more importantly an identity for Women’s football at SEUFC.
“I am so proud of each and every player in our team or who have played with us throughout the season. The amount of support and love this team has shown to each is unmatched. Our team has most certainly left its mark on central coast football.
“A big thank you to the volunteers involved who also helped us reached some of the greatest heights in football. Thank you to SEUFC, the players and families involved and to Alex and co at CCF for putting on another fantastic grand final weekend”.
Match Official – Rodney Mcleod
Men’s Grand Final
Ourimbah 1 – 3 Gosford
The Men’s Division One Grand Final got off to a late start on the main field at Pluim Park on Sunday night after the two prior matches both went to penalties.
It was an intriguing affair on paper as the champions, the Ourimbah Falcons, took on the ultimate underdogs in the Gosford Dragons.
Despite Ourimbah controlling much of the match, the Dragons emerged victorious. Their defence frustrated the Champions, and they scored twice in the injury time of both halves to pull off the upset.
The Dragons’ story to make it this far is a fantastic one. Struggling for consistency throughout different periods of the year, Gosford found themselves just outside the finals when they came into the final round of the season, with another result having to go their way in order to qualify.
They did their job, beating Doyalson confidentially, and as luck would have it, Toukley lost, and suddenly, Gosford were in the finals.
Next tasked with facing Umina, a side that came so close to promotion to the Premier League this season, they still looked likely to bow out. And yet, they won 2-0.
So, then they played Wyoming, the second-best team in the division and a side that did secure promotion, and they pulled off an exciting comeback to emerge victorious 3-2 late in the game.
That led them to the final, facing an Ourimbah side who did things much more straightforwardly.
Ourimbah were the clear best team in Men’s Division One, sitting in first place for almost the entire season and earning promotion.
All they had to do to make the final was beat Wyoming 2-1, then sit back and watch as Gosford tired themselves out.
Come the match, none of this mattered, though. In Grand Finals, it’s all about being better on the day, and recently, Gosford kept finding ways to be better on the day.
From the kick-off, Ourimbah were on the front foot but couldn’t create many chances.
They passed the ball around the final third but never managed to penetrate the box, as Gosford centre-back Ian Yates disrupted many of their attempts to get close.
After 10 minutes of this pressure building, something would finally give when William Bowden, at wingback, broke away down the right flank and put in a dangerous ball that sailed across the face of goal, where Spencer Wharton barely missed it, keeping things even.
This would happen again moments later from Bowden. At the second time of asking, Wharton and Alex Bauer both couldn’t control the ball in the box, and the scrambling Gosford defence did enough to stop it.
Phillip Holmes would then push out from his central midfield position and drive down the left wing, beating Gosford’s Anil Tamang and Harry Vodicka as he cut into the box, but he couldn’t find a teammate, and the chance faded.
With 30 minutes gone, it was now becoming almost inconceivable that the Falcons hadn’t managed to get a good shot off, but that’s the reality they were facing, and Gosford looked entirely unphased that they hadn’t progressed the ball much at all.
Then, on one of their few forays forward, Gosford would take the lead courtesy of an own goal.
It came when Henry Rodgers found himself in some space down the left for the Dragons. He was wide and deep of the box as he put in a cross that landed in the 6-yard area, where no Gosford player could be seen.
However, Harrison Bennett was back there for the Falcons, and both he and his keeper, Drew Ryan-Lawther, went to clean the ball up as it bounced. They got in each other’s way, which saw Bennet run into the ball and roll it straight into his own net for 1-0 to Gosford.
It was a goal that came from nothing and totally against the run of play, but that was exactly how Gosford did it against Wyoming. They sit back and absorb pressure before slowly and steadily building up and punishing you for every missed chance.
The story of the half wasn’t over yet though. Moments later, Holmes would win a penalty when he was pulled down just inside the box, leaving the ref no choice but to point to the spot.
Blake Small stepped up to take the shot and put it over the crossbar leaving the score 1-0.
Into first-half injury time, it seemed nothing else would happen when suddenly, a ball into the box from the right for Gosford found the head of Vodicka in the box and hit the back of the net, and now the Champions were down 2-0.
This took the game into halftime, with Ourimbah stunned but with plenty of time to pull off the comeback.
Early in the second half, Jackson Jacobs came so close to finding a third when he pressed Ryan-Lawther on his goal line and got him off the ball. The ball sprawled out to the side in front of the goal, and as Jacobs went to tap it in, Ourimbah’s Harrison Wedesweiler spectacularly got back and cleared what would have been a certain goal.
Ourimbah would then resume their dominance in possession, and now it was time for Jarrod Galante at the back for Gosford to step up. Galante defended superbly for Gosford, and alongside his teammates, who began to drop deeper, the Dragons began to frustrate Ourimbah, who couldn’t create premium chances.
Eventually, however, the Falcons would get one back. It came when Joshua-Adam Fletcher blasted a long shot at Ethan Giles in the Gosford net so hard that he fumbled the ball straight to Ourimbah substitute Luke Jacobs, who tapped it home for 2-1.
Fouls began to creep into the game now, with many freekicks going the way of both sides as time began to work heavily against the Champions.
Bowden, who at this stage had been running tirelessly for the Falcons down the right, almost set up Wharton and Holmes, but neither could get a quality shot off, and before they knew it, the 90 minutes were up, and five minutes of injury time had begun.
Try as they might, Ourimbah were held firmly at bay by the Dragons, who ended the match with an exclamation point.
Wide left, and just into the final third, Small gave away a freekick to Gosford with only seconds left.
Ryan Finch stepped up to take for Gosford, and he shot a driven strike across the goal that found the far side of the net and sent the Gosford fans into a frenzy as they began to celebrate.
It would become official after the kick-off as the whistle sounded: Gosford were Premiers.
The celebrations were some of the most joyous of the day as the underdogs and darlings of the finals series cemented their place as one of the great finals teams in Division One history, perhaps even boosting their hopes of promotion next season.
As for Ourimbah, there will be no second chance at this trophy for them. They are Premier League-bound, and despite this result, they are primed to take the top division by storm next year.
Speaking to the Gosford coach Shea Taylor he spoke about how luck played its part but believes his side rose to the occasion to earn it overall.
“We had a bit of luck, but I felt we played to the gameplan” Taylor began.
“We knew what Ourimbah were going to come and bring to us, and I felt that we had to put the record straight for the first two games where we couldn’t make our own luck so yesterday it prevailed, and it played out perfectly”
“We knew they were going to give us a fight being minor premiers, and we know what they are capable of, they have some quality in their side, and we just had to match that quality just as well”.
Match Official – Miles Allen-Scott
Written by Mark Goodyear