There was no need for heroic fight-backs this week, as Ulverstone downed South Hobart 4-1 at home in their Super League clash.
Sharing the scoring around, Jazmin White Tiela Weeda, Danielle Mitchell and Amy Bissett were all on the board for the home side, while Mary Coy found a consolation for South. On a grey, windy afternoon in Ulverstone the match saw spells of murky midfield battles, with the ability to play the long ball ultimately the move that would really open up play.
The wind was literally in Ulverstone’s sails for the first half, blowing a gale toward their attacking end. Some early to and fro from both sides saw Ulverstone lay down the gauntlet in the eighth minute.
It was counter attacking football at it’s finest,as the turn over created after an opportunity up the other end for White, who found the ball at her feet in behind the defence, she calmly touched the ball around the keeper and slotted it home, with the calmness of someone making a cup of tea.
Some shots that were ultimately fired too early was the most dangerous South looked for the next spell, despite some loose passes by the Ulverstone defence, but these provided nothing more than unanswered invitations.
The match up on the flank between Gaffney and Ingram was particularly delightful, with both players fighting for every ball down their flank.
But really it was Ulverstone who had all the advantages in the first half. On the half hour mark they made sure of it by doubling their lead. Some hesitation on when to take the strike initially, saw the ball moved on to White. However the forward was in the mist of traffic so differed the ball back to Weeda, who had the space to put the goal away.
Not taking the gas off the pedal, ten minutes later Ulverstone struck again. After White won the scraps at South’s last line of defence, she thundered goalward and passed it to her midfielder once she realised the angle was too tight. The finish was classy from Mitchell despite the initial hesitatio and it was 3-0.
Saves at both ends of the park ensured there would be no further scoring in the half. There was one from Anderson who made a spider like save and the other by McMullen who stood strong like a giant in a one on one with Gorrie.
With the second half underway, the mixture of a halftime talk and the wind saw South find some much needed composure to work their way into the game. The beginning of the second half saw the side attacking with more numbers, whilst the quick transitions remained on the cards for both sides.
Corners wound up creating some of the best chances of the half. On the hour mark, White whipped in a corner with Mitchell rising, her header thundering off the top crossbar. Meanwhile up the other end, there was success from one of the many corners that came South’s way in the half. A perfectly weighted ball into the mixer found Coy rise above the pack of red defenders around her to put in a perfect header into the net, bringing a slight glimmer of hope for her side.
With little time to spare, there were some half chances, but it was Ulverstone who drove the nail into the coffin and thwarted any late attempt at a come back. With five minutes of regulation time to spare, Bissett produced a total solo effort. Winning the ball but getting the better of her fullback, she fired a shot into the net, leaving McMullen helpless in goal.
The dying stages of the match brought some more action, despite being goalless. White found herself again one on one with McMullen. The South keeper was up for the challenge, but the resulting sting of a ball in the face saw McMullen head to the bench and a substitute keeper on the pitch.
White seemed determined in the dying stages to extend the lead further, but just couldn’t make it work. The opportunity right on the final whistle really summing up the last ten minutes, with the South sub making a daring diving save at the feet of White to stop the attempt on goal.
In the end, Ulverstone saw out a comfortable 4-1 win against South Hobart by taking advantage of the conditions and finding the composure after conceding. Meanwhile South put up a gallant effort in the second. On another day it could’ve been enough to see them resurrect the game but a lack of clear cut opportunities in the final third proved a problem.