National League South Central Series – Women’s Week 6
CAPITAL vs CENTRAL
Decision Day in the women’s South Central Series. Three out of four team with a chance of lifting the trophy by the end of it. Southern could either win or draw against Canterbury in one game while if Canterbury won then they’d take the title so long as Capital didn’t beat Central by four goals more than they beat Southern by. Which was certainly not out of the question considering Central had already twice lost 5-0 to the Cantabs this season. Hopefully you followed all that.
Initially this game was scheduled for 3pm which would have meant that Capital knew exactly what they needed to do before kickoff (or whether they even had a chance still) but that kickoff was moved up to 1pm to match the other game so that they’d both unfold concurrently. The smart decision, there. Keep it as fair for everyone as possible. Let’s do this game first.
Capital could only control what they could control. Don’t overthink it, just win by as many goals as possible and hope for the best. They’ve had to deal with a heap of change over the course of the season with more injuries piling up with every passing week. Kaley Ward was missing this match. Their top scorer and thus obviously someone they’d really prefer to have banging a few away in a game they needed to win by at least four goals. Jemma Catherwood replaced her in the line-up having missed the last round. Otherwise it was the same team that narrowly lost 3-2 to Canterbury... a team that was already without Ellen Fibbes, Emma Main, Nina Kondo, and Zoe Barrott.
As for Central, they were the only team on Decision Day with nothing to play for. Already lost all five games, playing away from home... would be nice to cause an upset though. Two changes for them after the 2-1 defeat to Southern: Hannah Buzan and Melissa McKenna in for Kate Mori and Charlotte Noakes. First start of the SCS for both although they’d each made multiple appearances off the bench.
Helena Errington wasted no time in bringing out the tricks as she beat a couple defenders then worked a one-two to create room for a shot... but she couldn’t get the power that she wanted. Then before long she fizzed one onto roof of the net from distance before Pepi Olliver-Bell hit a low attempt at Sophie Campbell who saved it. Capital already forcing the issue inside the first few mins. Unsurprisingly they soon scored. Fifth minute of the match. Long shot from Jemma Robertson smacks Devyn Crawford in the face, she goes down hurt, the ball falls to Pepi Olliver-Bell in the box and she whips in a lovely finish. Muted celebrations due to the injured player down. There was a break in play as Crawford went through concussion protocols but she was soon given the green light to continue from the doc.
Still, 1-0 to Capital. And soon it was two. Olivia Ingham couldn’t quite get on the end of a Kennedy Bryant through ball but before much longer a shot from Olivia Gibbs in space on the right came back off the crossbar and who was there to squeeze in the rebound at the near post but Pepi Olliver-Bell. Rapidfire double for POB. Eight minutes played.
There was a lot of structured stuff here. On a very breezy Wellington arvo, Central weren’t really backing themselves to go long and Capital were enjoying the opportunity to press on against their short goal kicks. Remember Central had a 14 year old goalie in there: Sophie Campbell making her second straight start. Elsewhere there were a couple tantalising Anna Green crosses. Errington had another crack from range that went high. Almost the entire game being played in one half of the pitch so far.
Central were eventually able to get out and apply some pressure through a couple set pieces plus Green did well to get a foot on the ball before Jesse Falloon could skip onto a Holly Kleinsmann pass. But then up the other end Jemma Robertson’s pace got her on the end of an Olliver-Bell flick and Campbell had to be sharp to turn that one wide for a corner. Gotta say that Central’s back four was doing much better at reading those progressive passes now though. Also Sarah Morton came in clutch with a block on the line after an Errington corner fell for Robertson six yards out.
But then Anna Green did this...
Intentional shot or a cross that got away from her? Her celebration didn’t give anything away, it was pure veteran composure still got a job to do keep it steady from Greenie apart from a sneaky fist pump towards someone in the crowd. She’s about the best set piece taker in this competition so if she did overhit it then it was a rarity... but to be fair there was a heavy breeze at play. Eh, it went in either way. 3-0 to Capital who still knew they needed at least two more in case of a Canterbury win.
Green fizzed one across goal. A few more crosses. A couple times when Capital forwards weren’t able to get a shot away under the attentions of Crawford and Lara Smith in the penalty area. Gibbs blasted a shot into the arms of Campbell. Then came half-time and the teams swapped ends and Central immediately won a corner. They didn’t do anything with it but with the wind at their backs now they did begin the second half more positively. Normally the wind is something that doesn’t show up that well on camera, gotta look towards the corner flags to get that impression, but not here. You could see the ball curving its trajectory in the air.
There were a couple moments where Central might have even hauled a goal back with a slightly better pass or run. However Capital were still the team running the show and in the 59th minute they got their fourth. Jemma Robertson with a clever header to take her around a defender and then she pinged it bottom corner for her first of the season.
Then she scored another two minutes later. Excellent switch of play from Catherwood to find Olivia Ingham, who slid the ball on for Green overlapping. Green’s shot was charged down by Campbell but it bounced back off Green into the path of Robertson for the easy finish. 5-0 to Capital with nearly half an hour still to go.
To be honest though, the Capital players knew the state of affairs and the game was already beginning to lag. Once they got the fifth, well, there wasn’t much more they could do. Passes got a little too edgy while Central continued to play their own game and Holly Kleinsmann nearly scored running into space on the right wing but her shot went juuuuuust past the far post. In a Central team full of very young players, quite a few of them in national age grade contention, Kleinsmann is one of many who we’ll hear plenty more from over the next few years. But it wasn’t to be for her on that occasion.
Ingham had a shot that Campbell was able to catch. Both teams lifted in crosses that didn’t quite find a head. You don’t really need to know about the death throes. A procession of substitutions happened. No season debutants apart from Nicola Ross who’d come on for Capital at half-time. Kennedy Bryant took a knock to her ankle which required some treatment and the game paused for a drinks. The Capital captain was able to continue and safe to say Bryant was feeling better when she volleyed a shot off the crossbar... albeit not as good as she’d have felt if it’d gone in top corner. Olliver-Bell nudged a header narrowly wide off a Green cross that would have been her hatty. Kleinsmann couldn’t get enough on her header in stoppage time for a consolation.
Nah, no more goals in this one. 5-0 the final score. Comfortable win for the home side who took control early but it was a weird match given the context of the other game at the same time. We’ll get to that imminently but shout outs are in order to Pepi Olliver-Bell and Jemma Robertson for their doubles. They were both really good here. Robertson especially, her best performance of the SCS by far (Olliver-Bell’s started every game, scoring once already, and has been pretty consistent). And Helena Errington was low key amazing in the midfield, as was Kennedy Bryant. Solid areas for Capital. Right on.
Also have to say that, weird as it sounds considering they lost 5-0, the Central central defence were excellent. Lara Smith and Devyn Crawford. Not the first time they’ve shone together this season. The game was lost in the midfield, where Central had made a couple of changes and the Capital side really rolled them, so it goes. Central are well aware of the learning curve they’re on and it’s impressive how throughout the season they’ve stuck to their guns and played how they want to play regardless of the score. Plenty of these players will go a long way. Smith and Crawford are potentially front and centre. No doubt they’ve been watching former Central CB Mackenzie Barry out there for the Wellington Phoenix in the A-League and getting a few ideas.
SOUTHERN UNITED vs CANTERBURY PRIDE
Meanwhile down in Dunedin, Southern United were taking on Canterbury Pride. One change for each team from their victories the week before. Southern brought in Shontelle Smith at left back for Renee Bacon. Bit of a surprise given Bacon’s been very good for them but s’pose this was a case of wanting to get a key player into the starting line-up by any means necessary. Smith started the first two games on the bench and impressed heaps when she came on. Has missed two of the three since but did start the one in between. Ultimately Graeme Smaill decided he’d rather break up the Bacon/Power fullback duo than break up the in-form Morton/Hayr midfield combo.
The focus for Southern was all about the press. That was how they beat the Cantabs the first time around, it was solid structured defensive shape but with a proactive approach. Pushing forward and getting pressure on the Canterbury defenders as they try to play the ball out from the back and then relying on Amy Hislop to do some damage on the end of that. The Pride have altered their defensive shape since then but going from a back three to a back four potentially makes them even more vulnerable to that approach if their fullbacks are still getting forward.
Canterbury Pride’s one change was Kiara Bercelli in for Nicola Dominikovich. KB rewarded with a start after her stoppage time free kick heroics last week – that goal was the only reason the Pride were still in contention for the title coming into this match. If she hadn’t scored that and they’d gone on to draw then they’d have been playing for nothing but... well, pride. Otherwise entirely as expected. Note the Pride rocking up in their black alternate kits. NBA teams sometimes wear all-black when they arrive at a close-out playoff game, a psychological signifier that they’re putting the other team’s season down for its eternal rest. Would it be a similar yarn here?
It was a similar yarn to the last time these two teams met to begin with, that’s for sure. Canterbury looking to build from the back and Southern pouncing in the middle and attacking swiftly. Third minute and the Pride had to scramble to defend the break as Margi Dias hit Emily Morison whose shot was turned around the post for a corner. Two minutes later Dias hustled her way along the by-line and squared to Morison and this time her shot was blocked on the line by Jasmine Donald. Brilliant start from the Southerners... until they went behind.
It was a goalkeeping shocker that did it. Kate Loye figured she’d roll the dice with a long shot on the drop in midfield. Amy Simmers came off her line to grab it but the effort from Loye dropped just in front of her and snuck under her hands. Loye was like 30+ metres out, it was definitely an unexpected one, and the way the ball dropped on her was super awkward. But no keeper’s gonna be happy letting that one through no matter the situation. The Pride scoring with their first chance of the game. It was barely even a chance at that yet they were up 1-0. A cursed way for Southern to concede but remember they only needed a draw.
Also remember that Southern are no strangers to playing from behind. They may have entered this game leading the table but they’d now conceded first in five of their six matches – including last time against Canterbury. They merely picked up where they left off. Great ball from Chelsea Whittaker to Dias who couldn’t quite catch up with it in time to shoot but her cross earned a corner. Then from that corner Kirtsy Hayr had a header on target, albeit straight at Una Foyle. But they didn’t have to wait much longer for the rewards. 15th min of the match and some beautiful interplay between Whittaker and Hayr flowing forward saw Chelsea Whittaker dash through and equalise. Lovely goal... and a reminder that Southern may be built on structure and defence but they can play some footy to rival any of them on their day too.
Both teams on the board, anything could happen from here. Kate Loye was looking great again for the Cantabs battling away in the midfield. It was her threaded pass that Frankie Morrow ran onto on 18’ but FM wasn’t able to beat Simmers with the shot. Poor finish but also a morale boosting save for Simmers. It was a fantastic midfield scrap going on between Rose Morton and Kirsty Hayr for Southern and Whitney Hepburn and Kate Loye for Canterbury. By now the Pride were knocking the ball around more confidently although that wasn’t gonna deter the hosts who had firm intentions of exploiting the high Pride line in transition. Nice and feisty in defence as well.
It was via that typical Southern approach that they scored again. Hannah Mackay-Wright stepping up aggressively to win the ball in her own half, then Margi Dias hit the early ball towards Amy Hislop. There were shouts for offside against Hislop and the camera angle didn’t help to solve that yarn, granted Rebecca Lake was lagging behind the rest of her defence though so she could have played her on. Regardless, Hislop was clinical. Emphatic finish for her fourth of the campaign. Southern lead 2-1 on Decision Day.
Now it was the Pride needing to come from behind and a draw wouldn’t help them. They’d rallied from 2-1 down with five to play last week to win 3-2. They’d rallied from losing their first two matches of the short season to still be in contention in the final round. It’d have to be once more with feeling now... except it was Southern looking way more dangerous. Hislop blasted one over the top before they made it three on 33’. Dias drifting across the defence and hitting Whittaker with the sneaky reverse. There was a deflection off Lake and then Donald slipped over... allowing Whittaker to slot her second.
And three minutes later it was four. Incredible scenes. Outrageous footballing activities. Hislop was able to get around Foyle but with no room to shoot she had to drag the ball back across goal... leading to an own goal off the shins of Lara Wall. It was all going to pieces for Canterbury whereas Southern were pinching themselves to be sure they were awake.
The Pride now had to score four times and that was assuming they didn’t concede any more... Una Foyle made a remarkable stop off a Dias counter-attack on 40’ which got buried in the carnage of the game but that save was straight off the top shelf. Chelsea Whittaker also lobbed one onto the crossbar though no real danger of a goal there. Meanwhile an Annalie Longo chest-and-volley was cleared while a couple Lara Wall crosses caused some worries. Canterbury at least throwing some punches now. Then just before the half they got a goal back. Kate Loye’s initial shot was blocked but the ball fell for Kate Guildford on the follow and her finish was excellent. 4-2 at the break.
Unfortunately for the Pride, the momentum boost that the Guildford goal should have sparked was ruined a couple mins into the second half when Amy Hislop turned superbly into the area and was shouldered over by Whitney Hepburn. Penalty awarded. Chelsea Whittaker making no mistake from the spot to complete her hatty. Whittaker’s been playing National League since she was 14 (though she did duck away to college in the States for a few years) which is why she gets to be one of the veterans in this team at the age of 25. CW was around for many of the stink early years when Southern United defeats were a regularity. To bag a hatty under these circumstances was massive.
No choice for Canterbury but to throw caution to the proverbial wind (it was pretty drizzly in Dunedin on Saturday so there may have been some non-proverbial wind at play too). They had to go all out for goals and yet Southern were perfectly set up to counter them in response. Hislop struck a trick free kick play on target however Foyle saved it and Dias couldn’t put the rebound home. Canterbury responded with a couple attacking subs: Nicola Dominikovich & Charlotte Mortlock on for Kiara Bercelli & Frankie Morrow. Mortlock nearly had a rapid impact turning a Wall cut-back on target though Simmers saved it.
Simmers had been flawless since that early mistake for the goal... although with the weather packing in she almost spilled a Hepburn shot on the slippery turf. Able to regather that one at the second attempt but then she dropped a cross which thankfully Shontelle Smith sent it clear before Guildford could pounce. Third time lucky for the Cantabs though. There was no stopping Annalie Longo from pouncing as Simmers couldn’t hold a Dominikovich attempt on goal. Longo making it 5-3 with her seventh goal in the last four games.
Longo was getting plenty of touches. The Pride knew who needed to be pulling the strings. Elsewhere Rebecca Lake made what looked like a magnificent last-ditch tackle to keep Hislop from a 1v1 in the box but it was called up for a foul and she was booked. Considering it was only a free kick and only a yellow though... absolutely worth it. Great defending. The teams traded free kicks in dangerous areas with nothing coming from either.
Umbrellas were out in the crowd. Less than twenty to play. Pride still three goals shy of where they needed to be. Southern went to their bench for the first time. Lena De Ronde on. Guildford was unable to turn a Longo ball on target. Wall was making a heap of overlaps. Freya Lodge-Whitham (CU) and Renee Bacon (SU) entered the game. Ten to go. Time running out. Longo hit a magical pass over to Wall who this time cut inside and shot but it was saved. Dominikovich’s rebound attempt also saved. Juliette Lucas came on for Southern, another young local prospect, and she almost had a goal scrapping her way into the area only for Foyle to palm her shot wide.
But both teams seemed to realise that it was all academic at this point. Amy Simmers did get caught in possession (after a risky ball from Kelsey Kennard) but Dominikovich shot into the side-netting despite Longo being open in the middle. Wouldn’t have mattered. Wasn’t enough time left. Fast-forward to the final whistle and Southern United had won 5-3. Southern United are South Central Series champions.
Think about this for a second. This is a team who won just one of their first 49 games as a National League entity. They had a -145 goal difference from those 49 games. But the last few years have seen things change. In 2017 they made the preliminary final after finishing third (losing 3-1 to Auckland). That was a Southern side with the likes of Kelsey Kennard, Shontelle Smith, Emily Morison, Kirsty Hayr, and Renee Bacon involved (as well as current Cantabs Lara Wall and Mikaela Hunt). Since then they’ve been fifth, fourth, and fourth. Now they’re SCS champs. Quite a rise.
In this game they had Chelsea Whittaker’s hatty to thank most of all. Plus Hislop was at her tireless, unstoppable best. The defence was superb including Rose Morton who has been perhaps the form defensive midfielder in the entire Series. Margi Dias didn’t score but she was directly involved in a couple of the goals. Mostly though it was a team effort. They had a plan which they knew could be successful (the style that the Pride play matches-up handily for them) and they delivered ruthlessly upon that plan. Working together for a common cause. Crack out the champers...
Or, grape juice. Dunno. Might be a couple underage players in the squad. Looks like someone from NZF made a quick dash to the shops for something cup-shaped too because they even got a trophy. Nice touch although it would have been better to get it to them before the bubbles got opened, aye? Or if there’d been any sort of formal presentation at all. Technically it wasn’t a final and the winner might not have come from this match at all but does show when the women’s comp isn’t taken quite as seriously as the men’s one. Same goes for the coverage where there is always, always, a mistake on the women’s team lists.
Anyway, here’s a dog joining in some of the celebrations...
Quick word for the beaten Cantabs who can console themselves knowing this was an unofficial title and thus they remain the reigning Natty League champs. For what that’s worth. The Pride had trouble all season with silly defensive errors and this game was no exception. Plus there were new combinations across the pitch that needed gelling in a short space of time – you could see the progress there from the likes of Loye and Guildford, two new signings who got better and better as the season went along, but ultimately those first two weeks were a bit much to overcome. Needing to win this final match, they panicked slightly after going behind and conceded twice more within nine minutes. That’s how it goes sometimes.
They lacked consistency up front too. Instead of Gabi Rennie and Britney-Lee Nicholson starting every game as was the case last season, they had six different starters in the forward line in only six games (it was a front two at first, then a front three). The upside: most of them are pretty young and will have gained heaps from the experience. Especially Bercelli and Mortlock. Don’t think for a second that anyone’s under any illusions that the Canterbury United Pride dynasty is over all of a sudden. Also they did still boast the MVP/Golden Boot winner. Annalie Longo winning Most Valuable by what was hopefully an emphatic margin because in a competition with plenty of excellent performers there was still nobody within reach of The Flea.
But this is Southern United’s moment. All hail Southern United. South Central Series champions of 2021.
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