The Devonport Strikers have landed a major blow in the MyState Women's Super League title race, coming from behind to beat Launceston United 2-1 at WMPS Park. United had one foot in second place on the table when Elodie Gray gave them an early lead, but goals to Renske Rombouts and Jazmin White either side of half-time saw the Strikers steal a win away from home.
It took just seven minutes for the hosts to take an early lead, and it was their wingers on both flanks that combined to open the scoring. A 50-50 contest on the halfway line spilled into their attacking half and Jess McCallum-Smith wasted no time in chasing down possession and racing forward. After carrying the ball all the way to the edge of the penalty area on the right she sent a cross inboard that evaded the dive of Strikers goalkeeper Georgia Anderson and rolled all the way to the Gray at the back post. Her first touch was far from perfect, but with an open net to aim for she was able to bundle the ball across the line and in.
Launceston certainly looked the more comfortable of the two sides in the early exchanges, and their strong defensive unit allowed them to attack with confidence. At the other end Anderson was alert to any danger and assertive in cutting out the long balls played forward by United, coming off her line regularly to snuff out the threat. That left the contest in something of a stalemate through the remainder of the first 20 minutes.
It felt like a matter of time before one team broke through for the game's second goal, though, and Launceston were centimetres away from doubling their lead through Danielle Gunton in the 22nd minute. A United throw-in drifted over the forward's head towards the penalty area, and as she ran on with a defender on her back she hit a shot that beat the goalkeeper but thumped into the underside of the crossbar and out. A pair of long-range efforts from Jess Robinson followed soon after, but both drifted just off target and away.
The Strikers continued to push forward without much luck, but a set piece just after the half-hour mark opened the door for them to equalise. Rombouts stood over the dead ball right at the edge of the penalty area, and her low shot curled past the edge of the wall and towards the bottom corner. A desperate dive from the goalkeeper came just too late as the ball snuck in against the post to level the score.
Neither side seemed happy to go into the break on equal footing as both pushed forward with intent before the whistle. White was played through on the right but saw her shot from a tight angle saved, while another dangerous cross for United just barely missed the foot of Gray as she ghosted in at the back post. There would be no further score before half-time, though, as the teams entered the rooms with everything still to play for.
The restart certainly didn't slow the momentum of the Strikers as they came out energised at the restart. A long-range effort that flew off target was a warning shot to the United defence, before a tidy piece of play in the 53rd minute saw the visitors take the lead. A long switch from the left landed with Nikita Boyd at the top of the box, and after a clean first touch she played a pass that split the defence and met the run of White towards goal. With the goalkeeper rapidly advancing the striker hit a first-time shot with the outside of her boot that flew past and into the back of the net.
From there the home side did the majority of the attacking, but Devonport held firm and defended their lead. Gunton loomed dangerously and forced an overhead save from Anderson, and the goalkeeper did well to take the ball cleanly with McCallum-Smith waiting at her feet for a loose rebound. Launceston looked to have equalised just after the hour mark after a corner into heavy traffic was scrambled home, but with a Strikers player doubled over it was clear that there was some contact involved and the referee whistled a foul in the build-up.
The task got a little harder for Devonport when Rombouts left the game with an injury, but still they stayed strong at the back. The same could be said for Launceston's defence, leaving neither side with much room to operate in the attacking third. That saw much of the final 20 minutes race by in a flash, but United found one last chance to steal a point as the clock ticked into stoppage time. A loose ball in the middle of the field was pounced upon by Gunton, and she played the ball in front of Robinson's run toward goal. With defenders on her back and Anderson close in front, she poked a first-time shot on target that was saved by the goalkeeper's feet and scrambled away to safety.
That proved to be the final real action before the final whistle, as the Strikers claimed an important win away from home. They will now enjoy a week off as the WSL pauses for Statewide Cup action, while Launceston will need to regroup ahead of their cup semi-final against Kingborough.