MINOR SEMI FINAL
East Gosford v Terrigal
East Gosford and Terrigal will meet for the second time in two weeks as they fight to keep their season alive in the WPL Minor Semi-Final.
East Gosford solidified its spot in the 2022 Finals Series after their win against Terrigal in the final round of the competition. For the Rams, this is the first time their WPL First Grade side has finished inside the top four and qualified for the Finals. Although the club and their head coach Jorge Chavez are ecstatic about making history for the club, the Rams squad is determined to go even further and have their sights set on the Grand Final.
East Gosford finished the year in third place, recording 63 goals for and 20 goals against. Despite finishing in third place, East Gosford only lost the same number of games as League Champions Umina (3). Their 63 goals for is the second-best attacking return of the competition after 18 games but will face one of the best defensive sides in the league this Weekend. These two teams will be very familiar with each other after having squared off last weekend in the final round of the year.
East Gosford got the better of Terrigal with a well-deserved and clinical 3-0 victory over the O’lasses. Kelly Hogan continued her terrific form in front of goals and was able to record another two goals to her name as she finished the regular season with 23 goals. The majority of Kelly’s goals have come in the second half of the season as she has been an instrumental piece of her side’s success this season. However, finals football is a whole different game, and the Rams will need to be at their very best again this weekend if they wish to keep their season going.
“This means a lot to our club,” spoke Jorge Chavez. “For our Women’s Premier League team to be playing finals football is something that the club has been trying to achieve for years, there has been a lot of work done in the background that not many people see. It’s a great achievement.”
Jorge knows exactly the dangers the opposition possesses and how they are always a chance no matter what. “Terrigal have shown this year that they are a team that plays very good football and with Candice leading them upfront, they are always a chance. A week is a very long time in football so we can’t see too much in last week’s results and just need to focus on this weekend and what we need to do to make sure that we get the win.”
It has been quite an up-and-down season for Terrigal, dating all the way back to pre-season when the O’lasses met Umina in the Grand Final of the 2022 Association Cup. After an intense, back-and-forth 90 minutes, Gregory Parker’s side fell 1-0 to the E-Gals. Terrigal fought hard all season to be crowned the League Champions and two weeks ago this side could have jumped into first place with only one week left. However, Umina got the best of them again that day as Terrigal went from competing for first place to fighting for a final’s spot in the last round of the year.
Despite recording a 3-0 loss to the Rams, Southern Ettalong did the Terrigal squad a favour by beating Woy Woy which allowed them to stay inside the top four and qualify for finals football. After falling short of both the Association Cup and League Champions, Terrigal now has one last chance at a shot for a title as they look to overcome their recent slump of results and make a push for the Grand Final.
The O’lasses have lost four of their last six league matches to finish the year. To make matters worse, in their last three losses, Terrigal has been unable to find the back of the net once as their form in front of goal has taken a massive blow. Despite having the attacking prowess of Candice Phelan who has recorded an astonishing 29 goals to her name this season, Terrigal has the lowest goals for compared to the rest of the top four. However, Terrigal’s backline has been rock-solid all year as Umina only has a better defensive record than the O’lasses. Terrigal will be hoping it all comes together for them this weekend as they put their recent weeks behind them and focus on the task at hand starting with East Gosford on Saturday.
Gregory Parker touched on the depth and quality of his squad as both grades will play in the 2022 Finals Series. “To get both teams into the finals is so gratifying after all the challenges we have faced this season. It demonstrates the quality and resilience within the squad. We will look to capitalise on the many chances we get in the front third and win against East Gosford. The squad is well prepared and excited to play finals football. We expect a great spectacle of women’s football on Saturday night.”
Terrigal’s Assistant coach Peter Blair has high praise and respect for their opposition but believes they have what it takes to move on to the next round. “Once again, we look forward to the challenge that is East Gosford. They play a great brand of football and our games this season have been of high quality. We believe in our young ladies and look to win the game with the adjustments we have made.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Russell Kirkland
MAJOR SEMI FINAL
Umina v Southern Ettalong
The two most consistent teams of the 2022 WPL competition will battle it out for a spot in the Grand Final when League Champions Umina meet second-place Southern Ettalong at Pluim Park this Sunday.
After a great run of form in pre-season and winning the 2022 Association Cup Grand Final, the first half of the regular season was far from ideal for the competition favourites Umina who recorded three losses to their name and found themselves out of the top four. However, after their scheduled bye in round 11, The E-Gals enjoyed a nine-game winning streak to finish their year in the best way possible, being crowned the 2022 WPL League Champions. This is just the second time in the club’s history they have finished the WPL First Grade season in the top spot.
A lot of Umina’s success this season has come down to their backline who records the best defensive record in the league, conceding only twelve goals in their 16 competition games. This Umina side, marshalled by head coach Steve Donaldson, will once again be favourites to go all the way and win the Grand Final as they did back in 2020. With Covid ruining last year’s finals series, the E-Gals will be determined to defend their crown as WPL Premiers. Solidifying a Grand Final win will see Umina win everything on offer to them this season but will be a feat easier said than done as they are scheduled to battle against Southern Ettalong this weekend.
Although Umina recorded a 3-1 win over Southern just a couple of weeks ago in round 18, The Lionesses were only of the three teams to hand this Umina side a loss earlier in the year. Umina will enter finals football with the most finals experience in their team and have a tremendous record at Pluim Park this season which will make for an interesting contest between the two clubs. Umina will once again rely on their courageous backline to keep the Southern attack at bay as they look to book their place in the Grand Final.
Steve Donaldson spoke about how far the club has come since he has been involved at Umina and what positive impact he hopes comes from winning League Champions. “Winning the league champions has been huge for the club. The women’s culture at the club is the best it’s ever been. When I first took over four years ago, we had next to no junior women’s teams. By next year, we could have a team in every competition which shows how much emphasis our club has on the women’s program. The WPL players have shown a lot of interest in the young ones by coaching and training them. Hopefully by doing so and winning the league, it has motivated these juniors into being as successful in the future.”
“I’m looking forward to Sunday’s game. A bit of pressure has been taken off our main goal of winning the league but we’re still pushing to go all the way in the finals series. Southern is a top team with a great front line and deserved second place in the league. If we can replicate the second half we previously played against them for the ninety minutes instead, we should be in for a good chance,” voiced Donaldson.
It was a terrific final five weeks of the season for Southern Ettalong as they won all five of their final fixtures to solidify their spot in second place. Southern enters the finals claiming wins over every other WPL club during the regular season. The Lionesses finished the year on 36 points, just three points behind League Champions Umina but recorded the best-attacking record in the competition with 69 goals in 16 games as a team. The main attacker behind their tremendous goal-scoring record was their striker Emily Diaz who recorded over half of her side’s goals to finish the year as the 2022 WPL Golden Boot Winner with an outstanding 38 goals to her name.
Not only is their attacking record an amazing feat, but Southern is also only one of three teams to concede less than 20 goals throughout the regular season. As a club, Southern has done an exceptional job with their WPL squad as their Reserve Grade were crowned League Champions on the final day of the year. Although Marcus Warwick has done an exceptional job with getting the best out of this side, Warwick took over for Augusto Terra midway through the year. Terra is the one who put this squad together at the start of the year and none of this could have been possible without his efforts earlier in the season.
Southern will enter their Major Semi-Final match against Umina with plenty of confidence, knowing they can beat this side as they did back in round nine with a 1-0 victory. As always Southern will look towards the brilliance of Emily Diaz to steer them to victory but her attacking counterpart Emily Trengrove has also been on a great run of form in recent weeks, scoring six in her last four matches. This Sunday will be a showcase of the high standard of Women’s football on the Central Coast as both teams will be ready to leave it all on the pitch in the hopes of claiming a spot in the Grand Final.
Marcus Warwick voiced how big it is for the club not only to make finals in both WPL grades and BPL also. “It’s huge that we won minor premiers in Reserve Grade and second by a win to a quality side in Umina in First Grade. No one talked about Southern this year being a finals contender team. We had to fight and earn every single point and we defied the odds. The club has supported us throughout the year and Southern Ettalong has made all BPL and WPL finals this weekend, not many clubs would ever achieve this, so a quality club has delivered.
As for Umina, they are so dangerous with their fast transitioning from defence to offence. They have a quality front three who run riot with their speed and goal-scoring abilities. They have earned the right to call themselves champions this year. We will once again be the underdogs, and as usual, we will shock everyone with how hard we fight. Sunday’s kick-off will be heated, aggressive and all in good football. Not only will the best team win, but I believe the team who simply wants it more will take the result. All respect to Umina and we look forward to the weekend.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Rodney Mcleod
