By Lachlan Onions
BLUE LAKE 3 d INTERNATIONAL 2
A LATE five-minute assault from Blue Lake in the second half proved the difference in the battle between International and Blue Lake in Round 7 of the Limestone Women’s Premier League.
Players had to contend with poor playing conditions as the South East was hit with persistent rain on Saturday.
In a battle between two sides expected to be competing at the pointy end of the competition, Blue Lake coach Sean Fulton was “stocked” with the outcome.
Inter started strongly in the match of the round at Malseed Park as the visitors hit the front in the 18th minute thanks to Tess Andrews.
The girls in black and blue soon doubled their advantage just four minutes later after Stephanie Gilbert found the back of the net.
The Rangers had their chances throughout the first half but were unable to capitalise and as a result, went into the break with a two-goal deficit.
“I thought we were unlucky in the first half to not have a goal or two ourselves … we had a few clear-cut chances,” Fulton said
“We had plenty of opportunities and I thought luck went their way a bit as the opportunities they created, they managed to find the back of the net.”
The second half started off as an arm-wrestle and with just 15 minutes left in the game, Inter had its sights set on an important three points as it still held a two-goal lead.
However, Chelsea Frost rose to the occasion to break the Rangers’ deadlock and set up a thrilling finale.
“We were able to change our formation a little bit and put a bit more pressure on them through the midfield,” Fulton said.
“We knew if we scored one goal then we would be only one down and we managed to do that when Chelsea Frost got a run through and scored a nice goal.
“That just gave the team the boost they needed.
“It is very fatiguing playing in those conditions, so that mental lift really helped get them over the line.”
Just three minutes after Frost halved the deficit, Jasmine White equalised for Blue Lake in the 69th minute which left Inter shell-shocked.
After completing the comeback with two goals in the space of three minutes, White was at the forefront again in the 71st minute as she scored her second goal of the game to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead.
From there, Blue Lake held on for the final nine minutes to secure a memorable win against the odds.
Fulton praised Chelsea Frost, Jasmine White, Aimee Brooks and Eve Maywald, who were pivotal players for the Rangers.
“Our backline was very good in the second half,” he said.
“We made sure we pushed our backline up nice and high so we were not giving them any spaces between the lines to pass through.
“Eve Maywald was very strong in particular and she is one of the co-captains in our team.
“She was excellent.”
The contest was also a part of the inaugural Lewis Ferguson Memorial Shield between Inter and Blue Lake.
Despite a disappointing end result, Inter’s Andrews was a prominent figure throughout and took home the Lewis Ferguson Medal for best on ground after a strong performance.
GAMBIER CENTRALS 2 d MILLICENT UNITED 1
Gambier Centrals claimed their first win of the season on Saturday with a come-from-behind win in the second half.
In a relatively low-key affair at McLaughlin Park, Millicent broke the deadlock just before half time thanks to an own goal from Centrals goalkeeper Bronwen Mitchell.
However, despite the late goal which gave the home side the advantage heading into the break, the Lions were unfazed as they drew level in just the second minute of the second half through Jasmine Siemon.
The contest remained evenly poised for the rest of the contest and both teams were staring down the barrel of a draw before the contest reached a dramatic conclusion.
With just five minutes left in the game, Centrals were awarded a penalty and Kiah Connolly had the chance to give her side their first win since July last year.
Connolly held her nerve and coolly slotted in the penalty to clinch victory for the Lions as the away side held United scoreless for the final five minutes.
APOLLO 4 d NARACOORTE UNITED 0
Apollo continued to show why it is the benchmark side in the competition this year as Deni Atkin fired the league-leaders to a comfortable win at the Blue Lake Sports Park on Sunday.
Atkin was a force to be reckoned with as she scored all four of her side’s goals.
She broke the deadlock in the 15th minute before doubling Apollo’s lead in the 25th minute.
Then, right on the cusp of half time, Atkin completed her hat-trick to give the hosts a three-goal buffer at the break.
Atkin then put the icing on the cake with her fourth goal in the 66th minute to round out an impressive performance.
Her four-goal flurry has moved her to top of the golden boot race with 11 goals, ahead of Millicent’s Lana Shepherd who has found the back of the net nine times this season.
Looking at the ladder, after seven rounds of action, the competition is beginning to properly take shape as Apollo remains on top with 18 points.
Blue Lake is close behind on 15, while Inter is third with 10 points having accrued only one point from its last four games.
Millicent remains in fourth, just one point behind Inter, while Centrals and Naracoorte are fifth and sixth.
