Last Saturday, the Western Border Soccer Association, in conjunction with the South East Women’s Football Assoc, made history by sending a team to play at Hindmarsh Stadium. In the curtain raiser for the W League fixture of Adelaide United v Newcastle Jets, the SEWFA Team of the Year represented its parent association, WBSA.
The Football Federation of SA provided a top class welcome and facilities to match. Realising the honour bestowed upon them, the local girls presented themselves professionally before and during the match, with co-captains Tania Grant and Julia Reader leading by example.
Conditions were very warm which perhaps suited the opponents from Riverland slightly in the opening half, however, coach Stuart Birch utilised the substitute bench well, giving all players the chance to replenish fluids and recover.
Early in the game, Riverland used the offside trap very well and Western Border was caught out numerous times before Jenn Smith made the break to open the scoring. She added another shortly after, catching the goal keeper off her line and sent the ball over her head. Western Border settled more quickly and used the width of the pitch well, keeping Gabby Tentye and Kylie Durbidge busy on the flanks. The Riverland goal keeper made some timely saves and Western Border had to be content to take the 2-0 lead into the break.
Cloud cover reduced the heat in the second half and Western Border lifted intensity as players began to work together to construct attacks at goal. Well worked passages of play, with deft one touch passing by Lauren Birch, caused havoc in the Riverland backline and numerous shots at goal for Western Border. Jenna McCormick found the target early in the half and a Leonie McCallum corner was headed home for Jenn Smith’s hat trick.
Despite the result being sealed, Riverland continued to attack when possible, however defensively the local team were exceptional with the ball rarely getting past them.
The scoreline crept up as exhausted Riverland heads dropped and Western Border gained confidence as the match wore down. The final whistle saw a 9-0 victory to the exhausted but jubilant Western Border side. All players were keen to witness the W League match and were impressed by the standard, despite the home side conceding 2 goals in the final 10 minutes of play to lose their opening match of the season.
With the success of this visit, it is hoped that this collaboration between all three Associations can continue and a repeat performance won’t be too far away.
Goal scorers: J Smith 3, J McCormick 2, T Grant, W Robinson, K Kilgour, own goal.
The Football Federation of SA provided a top class welcome and facilities to match. Realising the honour bestowed upon them, the local girls presented themselves professionally before and during the match, with co-captains Tania Grant and Julia Reader leading by example.
Conditions were very warm which perhaps suited the opponents from Riverland slightly in the opening half, however, coach Stuart Birch utilised the substitute bench well, giving all players the chance to replenish fluids and recover.
Early in the game, Riverland used the offside trap very well and Western Border was caught out numerous times before Jenn Smith made the break to open the scoring. She added another shortly after, catching the goal keeper off her line and sent the ball over her head. Western Border settled more quickly and used the width of the pitch well, keeping Gabby Tentye and Kylie Durbidge busy on the flanks. The Riverland goal keeper made some timely saves and Western Border had to be content to take the 2-0 lead into the break.
Cloud cover reduced the heat in the second half and Western Border lifted intensity as players began to work together to construct attacks at goal. Well worked passages of play, with deft one touch passing by Lauren Birch, caused havoc in the Riverland backline and numerous shots at goal for Western Border. Jenna McCormick found the target early in the half and a Leonie McCallum corner was headed home for Jenn Smith’s hat trick.
Despite the result being sealed, Riverland continued to attack when possible, however defensively the local team were exceptional with the ball rarely getting past them.
The scoreline crept up as exhausted Riverland heads dropped and Western Border gained confidence as the match wore down. The final whistle saw a 9-0 victory to the exhausted but jubilant Western Border side. All players were keen to witness the W League match and were impressed by the standard, despite the home side conceding 2 goals in the final 10 minutes of play to lose their opening match of the season.
With the success of this visit, it is hoped that this collaboration between all three Associations can continue and a repeat performance won’t be too far away.
Goal scorers: J Smith 3, J McCormick 2, T Grant, W Robinson, K Kilgour, own goal.
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