The Olympia Warriors have moved into second place on the MyState Women's Super League, leapfrogging Launceston United with a 3-1 win at Warrior Park. The home side snuck ahead with a stunning strike from Innocent Michael just before half-time before goals to Mia Cane and Meghan Goscombe sealed the result in the second half.
Despite playing on the road and in icy conditions, Launceston started brightly and spent plenty of time forward in the first ten minutes. They struggled to convert their possession into shots on goal, though, and the danger of Olympia on the counter attack was evident. A long-range blast from Michael burst through the hands of United goalkeeper Imogen McCormick but rolled just wide, and one minute later Madi Chambers spun past her defender and fired a shot past the upright.
The game eventually settled into a close contest with both sides pressing for an opening goal. Launceston found their feet in attack after a quarter of an hour and tried to test Warriors goalkeeper Kacee Ponting, but league leading scorer Daniell Gunton shot off target twice in quick succession. A slice of luck almost handed Olympia the lead shortly after when Cane's shot from the edge of the area took a big deflection and wrong-footed McCormick, but she recovered well to dive low and palm the ball away from danger.
There was nothing she could do to stop Olympia's opening goal, though, as Michael gave her side the lead with an outstanding strike from distance. A rushed clearance from the United defence fell to her just inside the centre circle, and after one touch to steady she unleashed a shot that caught McCormick just off her line, drifting over her head and in. That saw the Warriors take an important lead into the break, leaving the visitors to chase the game in the second half.
Launceston continued to press hard after the restart, and Gunton again went close but was this time denied by Ponting at close range. The Warriors held off that challenge and found their reward shortly after, doubling their lead just after the hour mark. A loose ball at the top of the penalty area fell to Madi Chambers sandwiched in the middle of four United players, and she somehow squeezed a pass across to Cane to her right. With Chambers drawing the defensive attention, Cane had time to shoot and calmly slotted the ball into the far bottom corner for Olympia's second goal.
That extra buffer could have allowed the Warriors to sit back and defend, but they continued to dominate the play and added a third with ten minutes remaining. Half-time substitute Charlotte Chambers found herself in a pocket of space wide on the right, and her cross towards the penalty spot perfectly met the run of Goscombe. McCormick came off her line in an attempt to squash the danger, but she was beaten to the ball and could only collect the Warriors attacker as the ball rolled past her and in.
Even with a win essentially out of their reach Launceston continued to fight and added a well-earned goal less than five minutes from full-time. They moved quickly forward after forcing a turnover in the middle, with a chain of tidy passes ending with a through-ball for Jessica Robinson inside the area. Fresh off a hat-trick in her last outing, she made no mistake with a first-time strike that gave Ponting no chance to save. United could have easily added another goal as the game crept into stoppage time, but both Gunton and Jessica McCallum-Smith were denied late by great saves from Ponting.
That saw the game end in a 3-1 win for the Warriors, a result that moved them into second place on the WSL table. They will now enjoy a bye in round eight, while Launceston will look to bounce back at home against the Devonport Strikers.