A hearty performance by South Hobart wasn’t enough to deny Olympia their spot in the Women's Statewide Cup Final, as the Warriors producing a convincing 6-0 win in the process. Bonnie Davies starred once again, bagging four goals, as Mia Cane opened and finished the scoring.
Territory and possession held by South Hobart looked good on paper, but the Warriors were simply too good and clinical on the counter attack.
Early nerves were settled quickly for the home side before the heat of South’s high press could reach under the collar. The initial threat arrived barely 2 minutes in by Davies who drew McMullen away from her line. South’s goalkeeper did her immediate task of throwing off the Warrior, however the scraps were ripe for the taking with Cane scoring into an empty net.
For added security, Olympia doubled their lead before 10 minutes. An early ball from the flank read Davies run perfectly, as the forward leapt onto the ball near the mixer and she simply wasn’t going to miss from that range, firing between the keepers legs.
Just as South Hobart were beginning to gain a foothold in the match, a free kick turned the tables back firmly to the homeside’s advantage. Olivia Bomford chipped a sneaky ball into the area, with Davies equally cheeky flick giving the keeper no chance. With a gale in their sails, a 4-0 lead nearly arrived a minute later, but the Davies shot would be denied after a deflection from an offside Cane.
Despite the 3-0 scoreline, play remained an open ended affair. Eliane Fader had found the space on the flank with Olympia’s right wing back caught up too high, and centre back too tucked in. Still, clear cut opportunities were difficult to come by.
After the break Bridie Cooling began her yoyo-ing between forward and right back. With her early moments in attack Olympia looked the most vulnerable. One opportunity arrived in awkward fashion, where Cooling just couldn’t find the connection necessary to beat a busy Jenna Farrow.
The Warriors made sure to send a reminder of how deadly they are without the sway of territory or possession. In the 54th minute Bonnie Davies rang in her hat-trick in style. A neat turn and finish from the top of the box provided the game’s 4th goal against the run of play.
The scoring wasn’t over for Davies, who was simply too much for South’s defense to handle at times. The forward’s final of the day arrived as she found space between her centre backs to be through on goal. Confidence from the earlier goals more than enough to carry over in the 1v1 situation.
[caption id="attachment_16355" align="alignnone" width="615"]
Davies continued her red hot form- Solstice Photography[/caption]
Olympia’s next foray forward demanded a penalty, with Davies the architect after darting around the defence and an arm denying her cross in the box. Cane had no problem finishing the scoring the way it was opened, cool, calm and collected.
South immediately looked for any type of reply following the quick spurt of Warriors goals. Fader remained the outlet of choice for the Reds, however she was unable to get on the scoreline despite her best efforts. Questions were asked, the Warriors best blocking efforts were brought out on the 64th minute, with Farrow’s save denying Pishon Choi.
The search for a sole goal continued right until the whistle, however their vulnerability and open-endedness of the game left the door open for Olympia to look dangerous. Ultimately the final half an hour of play was scoreless.
Olympia remains in the hunt to add to this season’s silverware collection, teeing up a rematch of the Summer Cup final with Clarence Zebras. While South Hobart tumbled at the hurdle, but dug deep and provided the entertainment until the end.
https://youtu.be/6V7Br4sU49o
Davies continued her red hot form- Solstice Photography[/caption]
Olympia’s next foray forward demanded a penalty, with Davies the architect after darting around the defence and an arm denying her cross in the box. Cane had no problem finishing the scoring the way it was opened, cool, calm and collected.
South immediately looked for any type of reply following the quick spurt of Warriors goals. Fader remained the outlet of choice for the Reds, however she was unable to get on the scoreline despite her best efforts. Questions were asked, the Warriors best blocking efforts were brought out on the 64th minute, with Farrow’s save denying Pishon Choi.
The search for a sole goal continued right until the whistle, however their vulnerability and open-endedness of the game left the door open for Olympia to look dangerous. Ultimately the final half an hour of play was scoreless.
Olympia remains in the hunt to add to this season’s silverware collection, teeing up a rematch of the Summer Cup final with Clarence Zebras. While South Hobart tumbled at the hurdle, but dug deep and provided the entertainment until the end.
https://youtu.be/6V7Br4sU49o