Welcome to the Weekend-Wash Up from Semi Final weekend of the MyState Bank Women’s Super League season. It will be the Devonport Strikers taking on Clarence Zebras in the final next weekend after the Strikers brushed aside Launceston United and the Zebras produced a stunning upset to bounce the League Champions South Hobart in an exciting afternoon of action. Unfortunately, a camera failure at Valley Road, meant I was only able to see one of the two semi-finals, so I'll be going considerably more into depth into that match in this review.
Vanderniet Shines as Zebras Stun South
The Clarence Zebras stunned the WSL Champion’s South Hobart, causing a major boilover as they claimed a 4-2 penalty shootout victory in a dramatic Semi-Final at Darcy Street. A late Ava Wylie equalizer and brilliant goalkeeping display from Amelia Vanderniet saw the Zebras push the game to penalties after the sides were locked at a 1-1 in regulation time. Vanderniet then continued her starring role in the shootout, as the Zebras bounced the previously undefeated South Hobart from the finals.
South took an early lead in the 12th minute, via an own goal from Ava Wylie, heading the ball back into her own net as she tried to clear away a Lucy Roberts cross into the area that Vanderniet had come for but missed. However, redemption would be found soon enough for that duo, and by the end of the match the pair had firmly turned to saviours for the Zebras, ultimately delivering their side’s place in the final with their second-half heroics.
The first real scoring chance of the day fell to Pishon Choi in the 27th minute as she curled an effort for the bottom corner but Vanderniet got across to turn her shot aside.
In the 39th minute, it seemed disaster had struck for the Zebras, when Taylor Rand succumbed to an injury and was forced off. With no players on their bench, the Zebras found themselves in the same situation they did a month ago, down to 10 players at the home of the Champions, only this time, they had already conceded and simply holding out the back would not be enough.
Georgia Burt was shuffled into centre-back alongside Lou Marmion who had been deployed there by Chris Hey in what was already a park-the-bus type setup, but down to 10, they became even more compact and defensive.
Eve Swain came within a whisker of doubling South’s lead in the final minute of the first half, but was denied by the woodwork as she rocketed a shot into the upright.
The second half saw South Hobart knocking on the door as they had the Zebras pinned deep in defence and defending desperately, but holding out, with South’s pursuit of a second goal ultimately denied by an outstanding second-half display from Vanderniet.
Twice she denied good scoring chances for Josie Mamic, the second of which was a particularly good stop that tipped a powerfully struck shot onto the crossbar.
Then in the 80th minute she made a brilliant save to deny Browning, before getting up and flinging herself to the back post to make it a double save and commit some absolute robbery on Sophie Westwood, who surely must’ve thought she’d scored.
It would prove the ultimate sliding doors moment, as two minutes later the Zebras produced a counter down the left via Baric, combing with the Wylie sisters. She crossed the ball in which Cooling missed, and inexplicably Ava Wylie was left all alone in the middle of the area, where she controlled it before converting to square it at 1-1.
South had one final chance to win it in the 89th minute but Vanderniet once again answered the call and made a stretching save to deny Mamic.
With no extra time in this competition, it was straight to the penalty spot to decide it.
Burt snuck the opening kick underneath Farrow before Vanderniet kept out Roberts to hand the Zebras the early advantage. Marmion made no mistake, sending Farrow the wrong way and when Vanderniet got across to deny Choi, it was 2-0 and South were on the ropes. Gadon and Stalker both converted emphatically to make it 3-1 before Farrow kept South alive by denying Eliza Wylie. Mamic ensured it would reach the fifth round as she smashed her kick home, but fittingly, Ava Wylie would complete the redemption arc by burying the final penalty to make it 4-2 and secure a famous victory for the Zebras.
Strikers Outgun United
The Devonport Strikers ensured they would be playing in the Super League final next weekend on their home deck of Valley Road, as they accounted for Launceston United 5-2 on Saturday afternoon.
Jazmin White continued her storming season, scoring yet another hat-trick, as the Strikers struck three times in the space of 10 first-half minutes to set up the comfortable victory.
It was Maddy Payne who found the breakthrough in the 24th minute as she scored another long range stunner, curling home a free kick from 30 yards out. She was joined on the scoresheet by Nikita Boyd firing home six minutes later as the Strikers doubled their advantage
Jazmin White then got in on the act, converting from the penalty spot as the goals continued to flow and in the blink of an eye the hosts had opened up a 3-0 break after just 34 minutes.
United found a quick response, as Lucy Smith provided her side a lifeline in the 36th minute as they finally scored a goal on the Strikers, having failed to do so in four regular-season meetings.
But hopes of a fightback were quickly squashed when White bagged her second just before the halftime break to send her side into the sheds at 4-1. White would go on to complete her hat-trick in the 64th minute to extend the Striker's lead to 5-1 before Izzy Declerk bobbed up in the final minute of regulation time to fire in a consolation goal for her side.
It meant the game ended 5-2 and the Strikers progress through to the Final next weekend which they will host at Valley Road against the Clarence Zebras.
MyState Bank Women's Super League
Semi-Finals
Devonport 5 (M.Payne 24" N.Boyd 31" J.White 34" 41" 64")
Launceston United 2 (L.Smith 36" I.DeClerk 90")
South Hobart 1 (A.Wylie OG 12")
Clarence Zebras 1 (A.Wylie 82")
(Clarence Zebras win 4-2 in penalties)