Welcome to the Weekend Wash-up for the Final Round of the MyState Bank Women’s Super League season. Whilst no side could improve their finishing position, we still had an interesting final day of action, with three tightly fought games leading into the annual awards night.
Choi Strikes Late To Down Strikers
South Hobart completed their unbeaten Super League season by downing the Devonport Strikers 1-0 at home on the final day. A lone strike from Pishon Choi in the final minute of the contest saw South walk away with a victory that sees their final record end at a highly impressive 17 wins and 3 draws from 20 games.
The Strikers had the better of the first half, dominating territorially and probing away for an opening in South’s imperious defence. For all their possession, they struggled to really create chances though, as South did a fine job limiting them to shots from long range that were not troubling a keeper of the calirbre of Jenna Farrow, with the exception of 1 v 1 chance which she stunningly denied White with a leg save from.
The best chance of the second half would arrive just after the restart as Choi beat Ponting to a through ball and almost scored in the same manner as she did a week earlier, but Analee Bidwell was awake to the threat and got back to clear it off the line.
A Caitlin Stalker header was likewise dealt with on the last line of defence by a combination of Abbie White and Amy Smith as the game appeared set to end at 0-0.
But then in the final minute of play, as she has so often done in the big games against the best teams this season, up stepped Pishon Choi.
Aaliyah Browning robbed Georgia King in the penalty area before feeding it Caitlin Stalker who swung in a first time cross that Choi rose to meet with a header that she buried into the back of the net. I don’t think there is a better player in the air, certainly in an attacking sense than Choi in the competition. She has scored a number of these sorts of headers this season, and it’s a weapon defences are not used to dealing with.
It was enough to secure the 1-0 win for her side as South concluded their campaign unbeaten and heading into finals looking to add a third trophy for the season. The Strikers were right in this one though, and with home ground advantage in the finals, will believe they can turn the tables in the upcoming fortnight. They will face Launceston United in a Semi Final next weekend.
Pirates Wind Down With Win
Taroona finished their season with a victory at home, downing the Clarence Zebras 1-0 to reach a double-digit points tally on the final table.
The brilliant Jessie Williams has had a transformative impact upon the Pirates in these final weeks of the season and she didn’t take long to leave her mark on the contest, storming in behind before firing a perfectly placed shot into the corner to give Taroona a 1-0 lead after 24 minutes.
Lou Marmion came close to a quick response as she got in behind the defence but tugged her shot just past the far post.
That there were ultimately no more goals scored was not a reflection on the match, which flowed from end to end and had both sides playing in a positive attacking manner. It was more a factor of goalkeeping performance, with both Amelia Vandnerniet and Izzy Ottavi producing fine displays between the sticks for their sides.
Vanderneit was the busier of the two, making half a dozen stops in a second half that Taroona had the better of, but couldn’t find a second goal to give themselves the buffer. Twice she kept out strong chances from Williams including a top drawer close-range stop nearing full time.
Ottavi was worked less, but faced some particularly high-danger scoring chances and came up trumps. In the 58th minute, Monique Schnitzer had a glorious opening at the back post only for a diving Ottavi to get across and rob her with a stunning stop. Then 10 minutes from full-time, Ottavi came up big again to deny Taylor Rand after a nice passing move had led to a good scoring chance.
It saw the game ending 1-0 in the Pirates' favour as they continued to find their best performances later in the year.
Smith Shines As United Rout Lions
Lucy Smith scored twice and set up two more as Launceston United stormed to an emphatic 5-1 victory over the Kingborough Lions.
The young attacker was on fire at the Den and she scored her first goal in the 30th minute, pouncing on a rebound after Mackintosh couldn’t handle Dani Gunton’s cross. The Gunton and Smith combination was electric all afternoon and gave the Lions' defence a torrid time.
They were only level at that stage thanks to a brilliant intervention from Katie Hill in the 13th minute, who slid across to clear a goal-bound effort from Cara Lashmar
Lashmar would get her goal eventually, squaring the game up at 1-1 just before half time when she snuck one in at the near post.
United reclaimed the lead immediately after the restart as Smith and Gunton combined superbly and cut through the heart of the defence before - in a reversal of the first goal - Smith cut it back for Gunton to tap home.
Smith would bag her second of the afternoon with an Olimpico Goal, curling her corner in at the near post as the wind took hold of it. In such blustery conditions, the in-swinger was always going to be a weapon and Smith put it to use here.
She then sprung Gunton over the top for her second of the afternoon, chipping it through for her fellow attacker who made no mistake to extend the lead to 4-1.
Ange Ikeda has been a strong performer since her midseason arrival and she made it 3 goals for the week by heading home from close range two minutes later from another in-swinging corner. It saw the game ending 5-1 in United’s favour, and they will head into next week’s Semi Final against the Strikers in good spirits.
White and Choi Dominate Awards Night
With the final day action out of the way it was over to the Awards Night at Crowne Plaza where Jazmin White capped a dominant season by running away with the Best and Fairest Count to go with her Golden Boot. White won the count by double-digit votes from Pishon Choi, but the South Hobart midfielder walked away with 2 major awards herself, claiming the Players' MVP and Walter Pless Media Award. Graciella Baez was voted as the Rising Star.
Jenna Farrow had the Golden Glove locked in for a long time, as did Jazmin White with the Golden Boot.
Karen Wills was voted by her peers as the Coach of the Year for her job salvaging Taroona’s season, whilst Elliana Beeston was adjudged Referee of the year.
MyState Bank Women’s Super League
Round 20
Kingborough Lions 1 (C.Lashmar 40”)
Launceston United 5 (L.Smith 31” 51” D.Gunton 46” 79” A.Ikeda 82")
South Hobart 1 (P.Choi 90”)
Devonport 0
Taroona 1 (J.Williams 21”)
Clarence Zebras 0