Southern defeat Killarney in Women's Premier League
Southern and Ettalong United have beaten Killarney, 2-1, in Women's Premier League soccer on Sunday, July 16.
After two weeks of playing back-to-back games with a limited squad of just 17 players, Southern were buoyed by the return of several players from injury, including striker Brooke Hardie who suffered a head clash in Round 12 against Umina.
The field at James Browne Oval was not in the best of condition with both teams having to contend with sandy unstable 16-yard boxes.
On the other hand, there was no wind which has been a constant of late on the Peninsula.
The game started strongly with both teams causing each other issues at either end of the field, but it was Killarney who broke the offside trap and the deadlock first.
A diagonal ball went through to Tamzyn Fittler who executed well to give the Terriers the lead.
Southern started to find some rhythm on both wings and played some excellent through balls to the strikers, with Abbey Omayao making some excellent saves to keep the visitors in front on the scoreboard.
Eventually, Southern's hard work paid off and a ball over the top landed at Angela Hooper's feet who bungled the ball over the line despite the heroic efforts of the Killarney's goalkeeper.
With a halftime score of 1-1, Southern continued a high line press and looked to break past the similarly structured defensive line of Killarney.
A quick counterattack from Southern and some clever play resulted in Emily Trengrove converting from short range to make it 2-1, securing all three points for Southern in just their second win in 2023.
"We've had two weeks of playing with a WPL squad of only 17 players and it's been great to get a few more players back from injury," said Lionesses coach Jules Higginson-Smith.
Match official was Stephen Wrightson.
SOURCE:
Website, 17 Jul 2023
Central Coast Football