Southern Championship
New Town White Eagles 3-2 South Hobart (AET)
The Southern Championship Summer Cup final was a game of ebbs and flows, swinging momentum and 20 minutes of extra football. At the end of it all, it was the New Town White Eagles that emerged victorious and claimed the Cup with a thrilling 3-2 win over South Hobart.
There were few signs of the excitement that was to come early in the game, as both sides gently rolled into first gear from the kickoff. The NPL experience in South's lineup showed as they dominated the possession for long stretches, but they struggled to break down a resolute White Eagles defence marshalled well by goalkeeper Mitchell Stalker. New Town were able to break on the counter and should have taken a two-goal lead into the break, but a pair of missed chances late in the half from Toby Butler saw the game remain scoreless.
It wasn't until just after the hour mark that the deadlock was broken, and it was New Town that struck first through Ronan Longden. A raking pass to the left gave Andrew Clark time to cross, and his low delivery found Longden unmarked at the back post for a close-range finish. South continued to play a patient game despite falling behind, and they were rewarded with an equaliser in the 75th minute as a brilliant first touch from Sam Tooze played in Josh Divin for a tap-in past the goalkeeper.
Those goals kicked the intensity of the game up several notches and both sides pushed for a winner in regulation time. Divin almost single-handedly won his side the game, with three solo chances in the final 15 minutes just barely missing the target, while the White Eagles struggled to find a clear-cut chance in general play. Their second goal eventually came from a well-worked set piece, with a long free kick floated towards the penalty spot and headed home with a deft flick from Luke Huigsloot.
With less than ten minutes left it looked like that would be the winner, but just as they did in their last pool game, South struck late to keep the contest alive. A low Tae Evans shot forced a diving save from Stalker, but he could only palm it in the path of Tooze who scuffed a shot that rolled over the line. The New Town gloveman redeemed himself with a huge double-save in the dying seconds of stoppage time, setting up 20 minutes of extra time to decide the Cup.
With fatigue setting in the chances dried up, but it was New Town that were able to grab one last opportunity and make it count. With his own shot blocked inside the area, Samuel Leszczynski was able to recover the ball and slide it across to Huigsloot in front of goal, and his first-time hit flew past Nathan Reid in goal and into the back of the net. That proved to be a Cup-winning strike, as the White Eagles claimed the first trophy of the season.
Women's Super League
Olympia Warriors 4-1 Kingborough Lions
A pair of early goals gave the Olympia Warriors a flying start in the WSL Summer Cup final, and they never looked back on their way to a 4-1 win over the Kingborough Lions. A virtuoso performance from Leah Gubb led the Warriors to victory, as she assisted two goals before adding one of her own.
It took just six minutes for the defending WSL champions to take the lead, with a curling free kick from Gubb slammed home at the back post by Warriors captain Innocent Michael. It was a sluggish start from the Lions, and they looked totally shell-shocked after falling behind so early. That left them vulnerable to conceding a second goal, and Olympia doubled their lead ten minutes later through former Lion Mia Cane. Again, it was the set piece skill of Gubb that set it up, as this time she played a bouncing ball to the near post that was flicked home by Cane.
The Lions finally settled somewhat and held their own to make it to half-time without any further damage, but they struggled to create their own chances. Star striker Laura Davis was often isolated against multiple defenders and her teammates were smothered by the high-pressure style of the Warriors. With a rock-solid backline being led superbly by Katherine Ollerhead, it was hard to see Kingborough scoring enough goals to drag themselves back into the contest.
The situation became even more dire just minutes after the restart as Olympia's lead grew once more. As Gubb lined up another free kick from long range, it was easy to assume that another cross into the middle would be the play. Instead, she unleashed a high, curling shot that soared over the head of Lions goalkeeper Olivia Gardner and into the top corner. It was a stunning goal befitting of a Cup final, and one that effectively sealed the result for the Warriors.
Much of the bite went out of the contest late as both sides seemed to accept the inevitable result. That left the door open for the relentless Madi Chambers to grab a goal for herself, as her trademark hard running was rewarded for Olympia's fourth. A long ball over the top fell in her path and she held off her defender with strength before rounding the 'keeper and finishing into the open net. A stoppage-time consolation goal for the Lions added some respectability to the score, with Davis running onto a high ball over the defence and toeing it home, but it was a comprehensive victory for the Warriors as they started the new season with a trophy.
NPL
Kingborough Lions 3-0 South Hobart
The Kingborough Lions have made a major statement ahead of the new NPL Tasmania season, winning their first trophy since 2012 with a 3-0 win over South Hobart in the NPL Summer Cup final. Kingborough's new offseason signings were outstanding across the park as goals to Kobe Kemp, Adam McKeown and Keenan Douce saw them cruise to a comfortable victory.
It certainly didn't look like it would be a walk in the park early, with both sides scrapping through an even opening half an hour. Chances were few and far between for either side, but it was pace in the final third that loomed as the largest threat through South's Kasper Hallam at one end and new Lion Ben Hamlett at the other. Both were busy in the opening exchanges, but neither could find a clear-cut chance on goal. South's new centre-back pairing of Jayden Hey and Luke Bighin were able to snuff out any danger and distribute well once in possession, and the makeshift Kingborough defence led by midfielder Kobe Kemp were surprisingly assured throughout.
Despite that shift into the backline, it was Kemp that opened the scoring from the penalty spot and gave the Lions the lead shortly after the half-hour mark. Jack Turner won the penalty as he stormed in the area and towards the oncoming Mark Moncur in the South Hobart goal. As the veteran gloveman slid in to challenge, Turner's touch took the ball wider and left Moncur to clatter into his legs and commit the foul. Kemp stepped up to take the spot kick against his former side, and he calmly slid it into the bottom corner.
That goal seemed to be the spark that the Lions needed, as they dominated the remainder of the half and doubled their lead before the break. Hamlett was played through to the left of the penalty area, and his low ball across the face of goal rolled behind the defence and found McKeown all alone at the back post. With no South player close enough to challenge him, he tapped it home and gave his side a decisive lead at the interval.
It was much the same story after the restart, although South did come close to pulling a goal back on occasion. Nick Morton's high press gave him a shot that he could only scuff wide, while Lions gloveman Sheku Kamara was forced to hang on for dear life as both he and the ball were almost bundled over the line after a South corner. In the end, though, the chances were few and far between, and the Kingborough defence performed admirably to protect their clean sheet.
At the other end, the Lions were able to add a third goal thanks to a stunning strike from captain Keenan Douce. The livewire fullback is known for his dangerous delivery from the wings, and as McKeown rolled the ball towards him on the right he looked certain to cross it into the area. Instead, he unleashed a first-time hit that screamed over the heads of everyone in the middle, including Moncur in goal, and flew into the far top corner. That was the exclamation point on a strong performance from his side, and as the game petered out the Lions celebrated their first trophy in nine years accordingly.
