A brave Clarence have gone down 3-0 to Ulverstone at Wentworth Park on Saturday. The visitors opened the scoring through Lucy Foote, with Jazmin White striking two goals of her own to round out the 3-0 score line.
As the game kicked-off it was clear Ulverstone meant business, lining up across the half way line to attack as soon as the whistle blew. This attack was soon shut down by Zara Dixon in what would prove to be a pattern across the first half.
Three minutes into the contest and a wayward Clarence back pass gifted the home side a chance, however Amelia Vanderniet saved well. Not long after this Clarence turned defence into attack, with Dixon stopping a White run before the Reds played the ball around well to eventually transition into attack.
Ulverstone almost found the opener, with Jazmin White hitting the ball goalwards. However, the ball did not have much pace on it, and Vanderniet was able to get back and collect the ball before it crossed the line, but it wasn’t long before the visitors found the opener.
In the 13th minute Ulverstone won a corner and the ball was swung in. The ball then found its way to Lucy Foote who was positioned in the box. Foote lined up a strike, hitting the ball through a crowded area past Vanderniet and into the back of the net, moving the score to 1-0.
Soon after the opening goal Clarence almost found an immediate reply, with Jessica Downham attacking the goal line, however her shot was straight to Georgia Anderson. Not long after Foote played through Bissett who showed pace to get a shot away, however Vanderniet saved again. Vanderniet continued to deny the visitors a second goal, stopping a powerful Georgia Foote shot in the 20th minute, however it wasn’t long before Ulverstone doubled their lead.
In the 28th minute the ball was in Clarence’s attacking end of the pitch before Ulverstone countered with pace. This counter saw Jazmin White burst out in front of the defence, finishing well and moving the score to 2-0.
Two minutes and two corners later and Clarence almost found a goal of their own, when Anderson was well off her line. This chance came after Madeline O’Brien spotted Anderson off her line, O’Brien then attempted to kick the ball over Anderson’s head however the keeper managed to catch the ball.
As the half drew closer to a conclusion both sides had chances to add to the score line, with Gaffney hitting a shot straight to Vanderniet and Mackay hitting straight to Anderson. Ulverstone continued to push for a third goal, however Clarence remained strong, with the visitors leading 2-0 as the half time whistle blew.
The second half kicked off with an early offside call before White and Gaffney combined well in attack. Ulverstone continued to push for a third goal however Vanderniet and the Clarence defence held strong. Chances fell to Foote, White, Reimer and Weeda however the home side continued to deny the visitors.
In the 87th minute White crossed the ball into the path of Zara Dixon who deflected the ball goalwards, however Vanderniet saved well.
Just a minute later and Foote played the ball to White in the middle. White then struck well, scoring her second of the game and moving the score to 3-0. This was how the score remained, with Ulverstone running out 3-0 winners.
Speaking post-match, Clarence coach Chris Chalker spoke of how his side were struggling to find players just hours before the game. He explained that “the girls put in for 90 minutes regardless of the result, they were 2-0 down for 85 minutes and they were still playing for it, trying to get that goal, they did well and played great."
Ulverstone coach Malcolm Gorrie was really happy with the win, especially with only 11 players making the trip. He spoke of how Clarence’s “composure, competitiveness, and teamwork was brilliant, and it was a good game all round.” Gorrie went on to explain that his side had tried a number of players in different positions in preparation for the next few weeks of fixtures.
The win sees Ulverstone remain in third place whilst Clarence sit in sixth. Next week Clarence play host to league leaders Olympia, Saturday, 2pm at Wentworth Park. Meanwhile Ulverstone host the Hobart Zebras, Saturday 2:30pm at Ulverstone.