Woonona Sharks edged past Shoalhaven Association 2-1 to claim back-to-back Grand Final titles at WIN Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
After a goalless first half, Brittany Ring broke the deadlock with a quickfire double soon after halftime.
Maiden WPL Grand Finalists Shoalhaven pulled a goal back with under half an hour to play, but Woonona held on to secure the trophy.
The match got off to a flying start when Sophie Heath sent an effort wide of the right post for the Sharks two minutes in.
Five minutes later, Shoalhaven responded through Shaylee Meehan, who fired a free-kick on the left just over.
In the 12th minute, Meehan was involved again. This time, hitting a shot that rolled to Woonona goalkeeper Anna Simon.
Midway through the half, the Sharks had an excellent opportunity to open the scoring. Brittany Ring went through on goal down the left, but Shoalhaven goalkeeper Jill Scott caught her left-footed shot.
The chances kept coming, and 10 minutes later, Woonona’s Kelsey Clements went through one-on-one with Scott as well, skewing her strike well wide.
In the 35th minute, the Sharks created an opportunity from a set piece as Beth Tomlinson’s left-sided corner met Paige Hirst’s head, requiring Scott to produce a save.
Shoalhaven wrested some control back in the game in the final 10 minutes of the first half. Kaitlyn Sennitt’s shot flew over before Meredith Cheyne drove a low strike, forcing Simon into a sharp stop.
On the stroke of halftime, Woonona created another chance through Ring. The winger worked her way down the left, with her subsequent effort rolling to Scott.
At halftime, the scores remained locked at 0-0, following an intense first half at WIN Stadium.
The pace continued to pick up in the second half, and less than a minute in, Shoalhaven’s Lauren Gilbert steered a shot wide.
However, three minutes later, it was Woonona who took the lead. After some initial hard work from Laura Green, Ring received the ball in the left of the box, deftly clipping an effort that fell into the far corner.
Three minutes later, the Sharks almost grabbed their second. Green raced down the right and blasted the ball towards the near post, with Scott called into action.
The side’s persistence paid off 56 minutes in, as they spectacularly doubled their advantage. Ring performed a neat spin on the edge of the box and lashed a powerful strike over Scott and into the goal.
Shoalhaven responded swiftly to this quickfire Woonona double. In the 67th minute, Sennitt sent her shot over, and a couple of minutes later, Meehan drew an excellent stop from Simon with a fierce volley.
Shoalhaven’s pressure finally told not long after, as they halved the deficit. Meehan picked out Leedham with an excellent pass towards the left of the area, where the substitute slotted the ball home.
Buoyed by their goal, the side pushed further numbers forward with Meehan and Matilda-Lee Potter sending shots wide as the game headed into the final five minutes.
Despite the late endeavours of Shoalhaven, Woonona held firm to secure back-to-back Grand Final victories.
Report by Tim Gibson
