Shoalhaven FC gave league leaders Shellharbour City an early scare, but the favourites responded with three unanswered goals to secure a place in the WPL Grand Final with a 3–1 victory.
Shoalhaven stunned the crowd in the eighth minute when Taniesha Angelkovski produced a superb finish beyond the Shellharbour goalkeeper to give her side an early 1–0 lead.
The advantage, however, lasted just 11 minutes.
In the 19th minute, Shellharbour’s reliable goalscorer Madelaine Costanzo once again found the back of the net, levelling the contest at 1–1 and restoring parity before half-time.
With everything on the line, both sides entered the second half knowing there was no room for error.
Shellharbour continued to push forward and were rewarded in the 75th minute when Emma Stretton found the breakthrough, putting City ahead for the first time in the match.
Shoalhaven refused to go quietly and continued to search for a way back into the contest, knowing their Grand Final hopes were slipping away.
Shellharbour held firm under the pressure before sealing the result in the final minute.
Late substitute Nikola Wilson put the result beyond doubt, finding the back of the net to make it 3–1 and confirm Shellharbour City’s place in the WPL Grand Final.
Shoalhaven can be proud of their performance, having given the league leaders a genuine scare and taking an early lead. However, Shellharbour’s quality and experience ultimately shone through as they produced three unanswered goals to book their place in the decider.
University of Wollongong now await Shellharbour City in the WPL Grand Final, with the two league heavyweights set to battle it out at Lakelands Oval on Sunday.
In the Second Grade fixture, Shellharbour City edged out the Sharks 2-1 in a tight contest. Matilda Pearson opened the scoring midway through the first half. Grace Cooper equalised just after half-time however Aisslin Pardo gave City the lead again with a tidy finish less than ten minutes later.
With the game opening up in the dying minutes, neither side was able to add to their tally as Shellharbour City saw out the game and are set for a rematch with Coniston FC in the Grand Final next week.
Thomas Panayiotou
