2022 Women’s National League – Week 13 Review
Eastern Suburbs vs Western Springs
By a strange quirk of fate, the final round of the season kicked off with a meeting between the two grand finalists. Eastern Suburbs were already guaranteed first and Western Springs already guaranteed second so there wasn’t anything on the line, a meaningless match-up nine days before an extremely meaningful match-up. But in a funny way that’s what made this game completely fascinating.
Particularly for how each team would approach the game. Full strength selections seeking to make a statement or rotated squads to protect key players from injury/suspension? That was the riddle. Western Springs have stumbled a few times over the second half of the season and as emphatic as their 9-0 win over Central was it’s also not exactly the ideal preparation for a grand final. They may have wanted the extra tune-up. Meanwhile Eastern Suburbs had four players suffer gameday injuries in the 2-1 loss to Southern, one just prior to kickoff and three during the game, meaning they had to finish with ten women as they’d run out of healthy substitutes. One of those injury scares was to Tayla O’Brien who has been the standout player of the entire season. Could have been enough to entice them into a more careful approach this time. And yet both teams named surprisingly strong line-ups. Almost maximum strength, in fact. Risky business but you’ve gotta respect the positivity.
Suburbs were a little more cautious with their team. Of those injured last week, Ella Findlay looked the most serious and she was nowhere to be seen. However Tayla O’Brien and Olivia Page were both named on the bench. No Arya Blackler though. Brooke Bennett and Deven Jackson each returned to the starters list while Nicole Cooper and Charlotte Wilford-Carroll were also in the walk-on side. Rachel Head and Zoe Benson joined the other substitutes. So, a couple players did get rested... but were still included in the wider squad just in case.
As for Western Springs, Angelique TuiSamoa was back after a week off while Sophia Dyer also returned to the front three. The only player who you’d expect to start the final who wasn’t here was Emma Pijnenburg (missing her first start of the campaign) and that’s not because she was being wrapped in cotton wool. It’s because she’s captaining the club’s U17s at the national youth tournament they host every year. Lara Colpi is one of the vice captains in that team though was named on the bench here. Rhee Morrison, who like EP scored a super goal last week, is the other vice captain. Seven players from that Springs U17 squad have played National League this season. Eastern Suburbs also entered that tournament (which took place over the weekend), with Benson, Page, and Blackler all listed amongst their group. Here are the overall squad lists if anyone’s curious.
Rightio, so where were we? That’s right: National League football. And there may not have been anything much on the line here but that didn’t stop the two teams from serving up a thrilling preview of what we can expect next week. The first aspect being that Suburbs actually lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation rather than their standard 3-4-3. Limited defensive options were perhaps behind that approach (no Head, Findlay, or Blackler in the starters) although it also gave them something to keep ‘em all guessing when they turn up to Mt Smart Stadium next Sunday. We have seen brief hints of this variation before from Suburbs but not very often.
Regardless of their shape, the Lilywhites got going with some tidy possession, including Cooper air-swinging at a low Jackson cross after two minutes. Some sharp speed from Cooper soon after set up Mettam for a strike from just inside the box which whipped into TuiSamoa’s grasp. Cooper flipped a boot onto a dropping cross and sent the ball slightly beyond the post. Having been frustrated in the early parts last week (in the entire first half and then long stretches at the end of the second too, in fairness) this was the Lilywhites back to their hot-steppin’ straight-from-the-kickoff normality.
Wilford-Carroll did get a yellow card for grabbing a handful of Sofia Garcia’s shirt to stop a counter attack after a turnover. Garcia understandably frustrated, her team spent ten minutes on defence then the first hint of an attack gets swamped by a tactical foul. Meanwhile here’s Suburbs assistant coach Aaron MacFarland getting a hot plate delivered his way on the bench (he may have been the middle man in the delivery tbf but it’s a baller move either way)...
Big save from TuiSamoa moving one way with an eye on a Deven Jackson shot then having to dive back the other way as it took a deflection off Lily Jervis. Dealt with. But there was no stopping Suburbs in the 15th minute as a brilliant run around the edge from Jackson, burning past Mayo, and then pulling back for Nicole Mettam who lifted her shot top corner to where there was only ever gonna be one outcome. Deceptively great finish. It had to happen sooner or later.
Mettam crunched a long shot off the crossbar as Suburbs simply continued on their way with an abundance of possession in that Springs half. The way they shifted it around the attacking third meant that the Springs midfield couldn’t get any space between themselves and their defensive line. That in turn got them stuck when trying to play out from the back. Still, there were some suggestions that their pace on the break would be a weapon if they could utilise it. Meanwhile exactly the thing that ES coach Stephen Hoyle was dreading happened when Aimee Atkins jammed her ankle on the turf in a challenge... but after taking awhile testing things out with the physio she was okay to return to the contest. False alarm.
That territory situation meant that Sammi Tawharu’s always stellar hold-up play was mostly happening in her own half. Hadn’t even gone close to a touch in the penalty area (other than her own penalty area, chipping in with a few defensive shifts along the way). But maybe she didn’t need to. 34 minutes gone and Arisa Takeda won a header from a Suburbs clearance. Rina Hirano was able to poke it infield for Tawharu dropping back and Sammi T then blasted an effort inside the far post, super strike, and suddenly it was 1-1. Pretty sure that was the first proper shot of the game for Western Springs.
Jess Innes wasn’t too far away with a deep attempt (after Tawharu picked her out in space). But then Eastern Suburbs retook the lead. Alrighty then. Nicole Mettam running down the right wing and pulling the ball back for Deven Jackson whose shot had plenty of juice on it and dipped awkwardly in front of TuiSamoa. She still should have stopped it but she didn’t and it was a goal. Only took three minutes to get the lead back. Goal #12 for Deven Jackson in this National League.
Western Springs had a crack at finding a second goal before the break. Rebekah van Dort stepped up with consecutive blocks against Tawharu and Hirano, the latter chance sparked by a silky chip into the area from Takeda. Then from the subsequent corner kick... huh, there you go, Springs really did find that second banger. Jess Innes with the curler to the back post where Sofia Garcia was lurking to bump it over the line. Easily done. Western Springs were on the back foot for almost all of the half and yet they hit the sheds with a 2-2 scoreline.
There was a split second when it looked like Garcia was gonna get to a loose ball in behind, didn’t happen but Springs did start the second half with some fire in their bellies. Garcia really did latch onto another one soon after but was offside (also Kenyah Brooke made a nice recovery tackle – she was doing a fine job alongside RVD in that unfamiliar defensive shape). Despite that, the second stanza did seem to drop off in intensity. The lights were on but the levels weren’t where they were to begin things, particularly from Eastern Suburbs.
Regardless, Subs went close from a Wilford-Carroll effort that dipped slightly over. Tested the keeper with a Mettam shot that was caught on the dive. Then retook the lead for a third time as a wonderful Deven Jackson run ended with a cut back to Nicole Cooper who converted from about nine yards out. They can turn it on when they want to, don’t worry about that. Even without Tayla O’Brien.
Jackson continued working her magic, dodging tackles and unleashing another blocked shot. However Western Springs were still right there with them and only down a goal... but with a grand final to focus on. Hence as we hit the hour mark it was time for Lily Jervis and Rina Hirano (arguably their two best players) to take a seat with Lara Colpi and season debutant Anya Stephan on in their places – Colpi in midfield, Stephan at right back with Takeda moving centrally. Not exactly a move that prioritised the quest for a third equaliser, was it? Then again, Colpi wasn’t too far off with a swatted attempt from the right edge of the box.
Next it was Wilford-Carroll’s turn for an injury scare. Aimee Atkins had needed some work on a jarred ankle earlier in the game but was eventually okay to return. The Lilywhites didn’t mess around this time though, straight away bringing on Rachel Head to enjoy a wee runabouts in the midfield. With a little under twenty to play, Springs swapped out their goalie with Keely Taylor on for TuiSamoa and Ryan Faithful also gave another season debut to Sydney Sparks at the expense of Sofia Garcia.
Eastern Suburbs still had most of their starters going and might scored had a fourth had Cooper got her noggin to a tasty Mettam cross. But, yeah, we were now very much in Save It For Next Week mode and that was further enhanced when Sienna Kirk made it three season debutants for WS (replacing Jess Innes who had appeared to signal for a swap about five mins earlier – she looked fine, hopefully just a precaution). Zoe Benson also took the spot of Nicole Mettam for ES.
A long shot from Takeda looked alright off the boot but Bennett made a simple save, then rushed out well to steal a through ball by Tawharu who perhaps might have been better off shooting instead. Western Springs still had players out there who could create things... but they simply didn’t have the ball to do it with. Wasn’t much urgency in what Suburbs were doing yet there was plenty of class. Such as one extended move that ended with Cooper dashing through towards a Jackson threaded pass only for Taylor to swoop in at the last instant. Cooper then went off with cramp, Olivia Page getting the last few minutes.
There was one last dramatic chance for WS in the final seconds of injury time as Sparks kept a ball in at the goal-line, squaring for Taitimu whose shot was twice charged down by RVD before Dyer’s strike went straight at Bennett. That could have been the leveller. Instead the final whistle blew to confirm a 3-2 win for Eastern Suburbs.
Okay then... what did we learn ahead of next week? We learned that the Lilywhites can do damage even without O’Brien – Deven Jackson had a goal and two assists in a superb attacking display. Also learned that Subs are going to start fast and that Springs’ ability to withstand that will be crucial. In the first meeting they didn’t and found themselves 3-0 down soon after half-time (going on to lose 4-2). They didn’t withstand it here either but at least they scored a couple goals to stay in sight. If they’re 3-2 down with twenty to play next week then you can guarantee they’ll have a much different approach.
Would imagine that Suburbs revert to the back three next week, probably with Rachel Head joining the crew, and the performance of Kenyah Brooke here should give them all the encouragement they need to do so. This was the best Brooke has played all season. She’s tall and strong and reads the play nicely. RVD was also massive at the back – the goals they conceded came via a long-ranger and a set piece. Not exactly getting shredded at the back despite the new shape leaving extra space.
But Springs do have that pace advantage in attack and with Emma Pijnenburg back they should be able to feed their forwards some heartier meals. One of the goals they leaked was a keeper’s mistake and let’s just say that Angelique TuiSamoa does not make very many of those. Get it out of the way with in the one that doesn’t matter, sweet as. Sofia Garcia and Rina Hirano have found some top form at the right end of the season. It’ll be Hirano and Takeda’s last games for the Hoops next week and a grand final is an ideal way to bow out of Aotearoa footy.
There’s a clear favourite heading into that final at Mt Smart. But Western Springs may well have a little more in the tank than people realise. Should be a belter of a game – these two clubs have sat first and second after every single round of this National League.
Canterbury United Pride vs Capital
Oh okay then. The second half of that message goes on to add that, this being the last round of the year and all, the two teams have agreed not to reschedule the fixture. Instead it’ll be logged in the books as a 0-0 draw. We made it all this way without any covid disruptions and in the final round the old scourge reared its ugly head again.
The Cantabs had been in a situation where if they beat Southern United’s result then they’d have finished ahead of them in fourth (for that prestigiously hypothetical Federation Title). If Southern matched or bettered the Pride’s efforts then the opposite would be true thanks to the head to head tiebreaker. The Pride do have a better goal difference than their South Island rivals but a draw and a SU win across the two direct fixtures is what makes the difference in this league. Southern’s game kicked off simultaneous to when this one would have – the cancellation having been made the night before.
Other than that... yeah not too much going on. Only a couple players each were going to be missing due to the U17s (Megan Simpson and Ella McCann for Canterbury, Olive Lynch-Gerrard, Anna McCarthy, and Liv Deane for Capital) but only maybe one each would have been starting so minimal disruptions compared to a few other teams. It’s a game that the Pride would therefore have expected to win... but then it was their covid outbreak that caused it to be canned. Unfortunate but so it goes. Won’t get to see if Charlotte Roche would have made it six games in a row with a goal – five in a row is already tied for the best streak this season along with, guess who, Tayla O’Brien.
Northern Rovers vs Southern United
With that Cantabs game getting buried, the Southerners knew exactly what they needed to do: win or draw and the Fed ‘Ship was theirs. And that journey was helped considerably by that Western Springs U17 tournament which took a several key players out of their opponent’s line-up.
That was not a problem that they themselves faced. With no representation in that competition (and no U17s in their regular rotation anyway, pretty sure) Kris Ridley was able to name an entirely unchanged eleven from the side that beat Eastern Suburbs 2-1 a week earlier. Nothing to worry about there at all. That was good news, because having needed a super defensive showing last week to stay close against Eastern Suburbs before pipping them late to win 2-1... they were going to need to do the same here regardless of a few missing youngsters for Rovers.
Those missing Northern Rovers youngsters were: Riley Sheldon, Suya Haering, Georgia Craig, Mackenzie Longmuir, Danielle Canham, and Alexis Cook – all of whom have started games this NL, combining for 30 starts. This was only the second game that Canham has missed and Haering and Cook would have played even more but for U17 World Cup duties. Maisy Dewell also dropped out from the previous game (a 6-3 win over Canterbury Utd). What that meant was Kate McConnell getting a left back start, Courtney Noble dropping into the midfield, Leanna Ryan returning on the left wing, and Shannon Henson getting the nod up front. Henson’s first start of the campaign having made nine subs appearances.
Southern’s plan is the same no matter who they play. They keep it tight defensively and then feed off opponent frustration with counter attacks and set pieces. Northern’s plan seemed to be to attack down the wings (as it has been a few times recently, and having Kelli Brown out wide is always going to attract the ball that way), stretching Southern’s compact backline. A few times the early ball flirted with space down the line but mostly this was a scrappy first ten minutes with plenty of strong challenges and a bit of Southern high pressing going on. Then a scrappy next ten minutes too.
Maybe it was a bit of last game freedom... although the physicality of this game told you neither team was phoning it in. Brown swung a dangerous cross to nobody while Ryan bowled over keeper Kate Hannay arriving slightly late on a through ball. There were battles all over the park. Kelli Brown vs Freya Partridge-Moore. Talisha Green vs Chelsea Whittaker. Chelsea Elliott vs Kennedy Bryant. But actual shots and chances were about as common as a kiwi bird in the daylight.
Leanna Ryan almost turned into shooting room but Toni Power made a stunner of a last-ditch tackle. Emily Morison dragged one wide from distance for SU, while Bryant’s clever touches always had the potential to build something (except for the one that hit Breeze Durham hard on the side of the head). Ryan was about to dash through again but this time a foul was called against her teammate Henson. The first corner kick of the match came after 40 minutes. There still hadn’t been a proper shot on target to that point... but there was soon a penalty as Ryan made an angled run across goal towards a ball in behind and drew the contact from Toni Power. No doubts. Kelli Brown placed that thing on the spot and then sent it smoothly down the middle as Hannay dove to her right. 1-0 to Rovers after 44 minutes. So it remained at the break.
Southern’s best chance yet came inside two mins of the resumption as Rose Morton basically just whacked a bouncing ball as high as she could running towards the sideline, getting it into the area where Bryant tried to guide that dropping meteorite towards the goal but her shins got in the way. Difficult one but had she placed it where she intended then 1-1 was on the cards. There was also a clearance from McConnell that dropped slightly over the her own crossbar keeping Ellen Blount on her toes. Green MacIntosh blocked a Margi Dias attempt. All of a sudden Southern United looked like a completely different side in the forward zones (and, importantly, exactly the same side in the defensive areas).
An Abby Rankin long shot that bounced just in front of Blount, making it tricky for the NR keeper. Then Toni Power did the same thing. Blount coped with both but Southern had undeniably stepped it up in the second half and Rovers were looking vulnerable. The home side were gonna have to change something... but on their bench were Cook, Canham, and Haering who’d all played that morning at the U17s and had another game that evening and were only really there in case of emergency.
Rovers went close as Ryan headed over from a Brown corner kick delivery. Then finally went to their bench with twenty to play bringing on Katy Gothard for a National League debut in place of Courtney Noble – Gothard the daughter of Paul Gothard, who these days is the Head of Men's & Junior Football at Rovers. At the same time Southern brought on reserve keeper Hayley Julian for a National League debut herself (the fourth goalie they’ve used this season). Kate Hannay able to take the gloves off for the final stages of the season having had an excellent time of it.
Rovers had managed to east up the pressure on their own goal and now had that finish line in sight with their 1-0 lead still lingering. And they had ideas about extending it as Rene Wasi played a killer through ball to Breeze Durham running into a rare gap in the defensive line but Julian rushed out and stuck a foot out to make a crucial save. No matter, ten minutes remaining the season and it felt like Southern had missed their opportunity, their chances having dried up again.
Except that was before Rose Morton ran onto a ball over the top from Bryant and had her first shot charged by Blount then her second cleared away from inside the six yard box by Talisha Green. And also before Whittaker stung a shot on target that was comfortably saved after a deflection took the heat out of it. There was another burst in the team in blue yet... although it didn’t look good when Kennedy Bryant copped a head knock competing with Green for a long ball towards the area. She won a free kick out of it but the whiplash that caused her to jar the back of her skull against Green’s shoulder left her in a bad state and she’d need to be substituted. Or... taken off, at least, because Southern only brought two subs with them to Auckland and they’d already used them both (one was a goalie anyway).
Southern won late last week against Eastern Suburbs after the Lilywhites had gone down to ten because of an injury with no subs left. This week that happened to them instead... and they scored late again anyway. Bryant probably would have taken the free kick but without her it was Toni Power who struck it and a deflection off the wall took it past Ellen Blount for the 87th minute equaliser.
Blount was left holding her arms out at the defensive wall and for good reason. They set Kate McConnell up for the lie downs behind them which allowed the wall to jump and cover a greater area... but they were too focussed on jumping and not focussed enough on staying together. Power’s shot (with plenty of nominative determinism) kinda fizzed between them and the deflection then took the keeper out of the picture. Not a good goal to concede when you’re nursing a 1-0 lead. No ma’am.
There were four added minutes... but no added chances. Southern had some inklings about a possible winner but never really got close again, having to scramble at the very end to keep Wasi from doing something dramatic at the other end. 1-1 was the way it ended. Same scoreline as the first time they met and with result that Northern Rovers finish third while Southern United finish fourth.
S’pose it’s only right for Southern to draw one last game in a campaign where they drew five times overall. Most in the league. All five of those draws came within the last nine matches, a spell during which they only lost once... and it was against bottom-team Central. During that nine-game run they only scored more than once in three games those were the three that they won; they also only conceded more than once in one of those nine games and no surprises that was the one they lost. So this was about typical for them.
The Federation Champs, get in. Freya Partridge-Moore had another cracking game keeping Kelli Brown tied down (as much as is possible), in fact the whole back four did a great job. Power, Morton, Kennard, FPM. Rose Morton’s defensive shielding as well. Despite their own struggles on attack in the first half, at no point did Northern Rovers seem to get a roll on. The goal came from a penalty. Rovers were short on numbers but still. Yet another Southern United blueprint performance.
Now here’s Sarah Morton doing cartwheels in the background while her sister Rose was being interviewed for the telly...
No real dramas for Northern Rovers even if it will have been a bummer to concede as they did. Chelsea Elliott had a strong game at the back, this one was made for her with the physical and direct approach of both sides. Breeze Durham was pretty good in midfield, especially in the first half. Leanna Ryan worked hard and won the penalty. Talisha Green and Ellen Blount had good moments. They could have won it but draw was probably a better reflection of the game. Either way it didn’t matter too much. Hey but Northern Rovers did go on to win that U17 title so there ya go.
Central vs Auckland United
One last game and here we go. So... you know that whole Under-17 tournament that Western Springs host? No team was more affected by it than Auckland United, who sent along eight players who’ve featured for the first team this National League as well as their head coach Mauro Donoso (assistant Christian Dawson took charge of the folks that were left to travel to Palmerston North). Five of those eight players even started last week: Ruby Nathan, Maya Vince, Manaia Elliott, Penny Brill, and Aimee Feinberg-Danieli. Tells you a fair bit about the state of the team they’ve been working with.
With all them missing, there was a NL debut for Maureen Fitzpatrick as goalkeeper – a fourth starting goalie for AUFC across these 14 matches. There were also debuts for Purti Ardana and Ruby Brathwaite and not just National League debuts... but senior club debuts, apparently. Despite that their back four was somehow untouched, that’s where all the experience lies in this team, while bringing Sophie Williams and Alosi Bloomfield into the midfield arguably strengthened things. Plus if Bree Johnson could score five goals here then she’d steal the Golden Boot away from Tayla O’Brien. Unlikely but gotta mention the prospect just in case seeing as she did score four against Central the last time they met.
Auckland United had a rare win last week beating Capital 3-2 thanks to some Manaia Elliott excellence. They were seeking to finish their season with back to back wins, something they haven’t done at all this Natty League. Meanwhile Central caught the full brunt of Western Springs in a 9-0 loss a week earlier so they probably just wanted things to be over... although a homer against a weakened AUFC team certainly had some potential for them to spring a second three pointer. Sophie Campbell retained her spot in goal after the 15yo made a flurry of saves in that Springs game. Same back four as that day with Jana Niedermayr again absent. Also Isla Cleall-Harding and Stella Warner returned to the starting team.
Bree Johnson was definitely in a mood to take charge as the senior player up front while Georgia Martin was frustrated to see a downwards header from a corner bounce back up and over the crossbar. Unlike last week Central were at least getting the ball into the other half – Tessa Hyland drilled a low shot past the post from outside the box. However they had to scramble a couple too many times at the back to feel safe.
A Rebekah Trewhitt block six yards out against Johnson especially stood out... mostly because Central then went up the other end and took the lead themselves instead. Credit that one to Maddison Hughes who made a sweet progressive run and then chipped the keeper for a delicious finish. Yeah go on then...
They don’t score a lot but the ratio of bangers to overall goals for Central is surely the best in the competition.
United were caught on the hop there having been the brighter team in the first seven minutes but they were soon back at it as Johnson’s cross was turned on target by Ardana only for Campbell to make her first save of the afternoon. Soon Ardana was hunting for another cross, from the other side this time, sent in by Emma Leaming after a lung-bursting run up the sideline. That one got cleared for a corner. Then Johnson did superbly to bring down a high ball in the area only to nudge wide before she had an even better chance after a lovely move involving Brathwaite and Ardana but didn’t get enough sauce on the shot from ten yards and Campbell saved diving low to her right.
Tell ya what though, a sharp run down the right from Lilly Dowsing saw her cut back to Georgie Furnell. First time shot from the captain was going in... until Fitzpatrick managed to grab it on the line. Fitzy had it easier with Hughes’ next speculator although the hit was decent in trying to repeat her goal from a similar area. Put it too close to the goalie, was the only problem. Up the other end Ardana curled one around the post while Trewhitt made another strong tackle to keep Williams from shooting on the overlap. A quarter of the way through this thing and forget about the last game of the year ideas because there were plenty of players going hundies looking for stories to tell the family over the holiday period.
Johnson was denied once by the offside flag then twice by Campbell with tidy saves. She’d score from an offside position later on in the half too. Everything was there except the final touch for Bree Johnson, annoyingly. We also saw Dowsing try her luck from distance at the other goal while Hyland lined up one of her speciality deep free kick shots and absolutely thumped it... but too close to Fitzpatrick who did well to make the catch. At the same time Auckland United’s U17s were getting ready for their final at the U17s tournehy (they’d lose to Northern Rovers on penalties after a 1-1 draw) – gotta imagine they wouldn’t still have been scoreless had they had the talents of Nathan and Elliott up front. But it worked out alright for the rest of us because a 1-0 deficit at half-time had this season finale tantalisingly poised.
A change during the break meant Aimee Barnard replaced Emma Leaming at fullback for AUFC. First time Barnard has featured for five weeks, pretty useful player to be bringing on when chasing the game. However it was Central who worked a few sneaky attacks to begin the spell, with Isla Cleall-Harding heavily involved. Hyland also had a punt from another of those free kicks albeit this one didn’t have the direction. Johnson did also smack one into the side-netting while Martin nodded wide from another corner kick so AUFC were still asking questions themselves.
Campbell gloved a Williams free kick that had curled on target. Then came the closest call yet for United as Bree Johnson turned inside her marker down the right but slammed her shot off the far post before Williams lifted over from the rebound. It was Johnson’s turn to head wide from a Sophie Williams corner kick next. That equalising goal remained elusive for United... and they breathed a sigh of relief when Dowsing wasn’t able to direct a mint cross from ICL goalwards. At no stage was the possibility of a Central second ever out of the question.
Finally Auckland United did tie things up after 72 minutes. It was a charging run from Aimee Barnard which won them a corner kick. It was then another fine delivery from Sophie Williams which found Georgia Martin slightly too open in the middle and having put one header over and another header wide this time her header flew straight.
Scores level with plenty of time for either side to find a winner. A long punt from Hyland nearly provided Central with one as Dowsing fought through both central defenders to get 1v1 only for Fitzpatrick’s trailing hand to slap her shot away at the last moment. The scrappiness of this match was immense, with Philpot and Barnard scrambling to prevent chances for Central in their penalty area while Central’s defence had been doing plenty of that all afternoon. Trewhitt and Smith and Chittenden and Warner and Hyland... all battling away at every opportunity.
This was one of Central’s best performances, particularly on attack with the amount of chances they created. We’ve seen them knuckle down at the back many times but not nearly so often seen them swinging the ball into the penalty area in search of a winner with five minutes to go. Unfortunately for them Jess Philpot wanted to finish her season with a splash, making a heap of clutch defensive interventions late on. Up the other end Bree Johnson continued to sneak past defenders but a deflection took her 88th minute strike over the top from about eight yards. No way through, yet again. On another day Johnson might have scored all five of those goals she needed for the Golden Boot.
It was a game that maybe deserved to end 1-1. It was also a game that either team could realistically claim they should have won. It was definitely a game that had every chance of some late drama. Just a pity that the late drama had to be an own goal. From the corner that Johnson had just won, Rebekah Trewhitt accidentally popped the ball into her own net. One last cruel twist in a season that’s had a few too many of those for Central Football.
They almost tied it back up again when Lilly Dowsing lifted the ball over the top of Fitzpatrick from the right wing. Saw her off her line, having flirted with rushing out towards the pass in behind, and with a little less spin on that sucker it might have held its line and gone in. It also might have been scored anyway by sub Aimee Sanson sprinting for that back post but as she and Fitzpatrick and Barnard all amassed somehow Fitzpatrick poked it away from danger. On we went and Rebekah Trewhitt had a chance for redemption with the last kick of the game... but blasted it over the top. 2-1 to Auckland United. Second half comeback. It wasn’t pretty but they got the job done.
Gutted for Central who lost 13/14 games this year and many of them were heavy downpours. Five times they conceded 8+ goals. This was not one of those, instead they led 1-0 with fifteen remaining only to lose 2-1 overall. Similar to when they led Canterbury 2-1 at a similar stage only to lose 3-2. At least they did get that win over Southern a few weeks back. It’s been a season of harsh lessons but a number of players have made really notable improvements: Maddi Hughes scored Central’s first and last goals this term, Tessa Hyland is coming on strong as a defensive midfielder, Rebekah Trewhitt had a fun time duelling away with Bree Johnson and deserved better luck than to have that own goal against her name, Isla Cleall-Harding looks like a find while Lara Smith is always solid. Forget the scorelines, remember the names. That’s how it goes.
Nice to see Auckland United finish with a couple wins though. it’s been tough mahi for them since the Kate Sheppard Cup losing a number of their most experienced players and dipping deep into their depth of youth. Didn’t see most of them here thanks to the U17 tourney. Instead they relied on Bree Johnson (13 goals in 14 games) who didn’t score but was a constant threat, they relied on Sophie Williams and her corner kick deliveries, they relied on Georgia Martin and Jess Philpot’s defensive presence (and Martin’s headers from set pieces). They also got some solid work in from goalkeeper number four. They don’t win this game without Maureen Fitzpatrick’s efforts, tell ya that much.
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