In an afternoon filled with goals, the Shellharbour Scorpions defeated the Thirroul Thunderbirds 4-1 at Myimbarr Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Scorpions took charge of the midfield in the first 10 minutes of the match with a continuous flow of through balls into striker Mikayla De Jong, but were all denied at goal.
A well structured play between Thirroul’s captain Claytyn Gehrke and Cara Baker hit back with a potential chance at goal, with Baker sending her shot just wide off the near post.
With both sides piling on the pressure, it was Shellharbour that would soon put on a goal scoring performance.
Their first chance came in the 14th minute of the match from Stephanie Bratjanscak who took an outstanding strike just inside the halfway line before chipping Thirroul’s goalkeeper and sending the ball right into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Just seven minutes later, the Scorpions centre-back Lily Harrison took space into the midfield before sending a low through ball into the feet of striker Mikayla De Jong who scored her well earnt goal for the match.
It only took Shellharbour one minute later until they set the scores at 3-0 with a powerful run from Eliza Schweitzer, flying past the defenders and striking her ball into the bottom corner.
Thirroul continued to fight back with attacking chances from Asha Meusburger and Kaitlin Mott, but would be continuously denied at goal.
The home side proved to be the most dominant in the first half of the match as they headed into half-time with a 3-0 lead over the Thirroul Thunderbirds.
Just six minutes into the second half, the Thunderbirds fought back hard scoring their first goal for the match.
Grace Vaughan was denied at close range by Shellharbours goalkeeper Mikayla Erdelyi, who sent the rebound ball into the feet of Mila Gehrke before taking a strike from the corner of the 18-yard box and sending her shot over the top of Erdelyi and into the back of the net.
However, it didn’t stay 3-1 for long as the Scorpions were awarded a free-kick and immediately hit back in the 53rd minute with an effortless and precise top-corner shot from Bratjanscak.
In the 67th minute, an unfortunate handball from Thirroul saw Bratjanscak step up to the penalty spot, rewarding herself with a well-deserved hat trick for the day.
Another close chance in front of goal from Thirroul’s striker Jessica Kelly went for a tap in from a corner ball but was denied once more by the hands of Erdelyi.
After strong efforts from both sides, it was the home team who walked away with a 4-1 victory over the Thirroul Thunderbirds.
In next weekend’s fixtures, the Scorpions will host University FC, whilst the Thunderbirds will travel to Balls Paddock as they come up against Bulli in round 23.
Date: 21 August 2022
Venue: Myimbarr Park
Report by Alison Dinh, on Twitter at alisondinh_
