James Murphy
INTERNATIONAL 3 d/w MILLICENT 3
THE match of the round in Limestone Coast women’s soccer was held at Casadio Park on Sunday afternoon.
International hosted Millicent on the day and the two teams could no be separated at the final whistle.
A three-all draw was the order of the day, with the match going goal-for-goal from start to finish.
Despite the high goal count on the day, just two players scored, with Lana Shepherd impressive in the forward line for Millicent and Stephanie Gilbert the main culprit for Inter.
Shepherd opened the ledger early in the piece, putting the pressure on the hosts with a goal in the second minute.
Inter responded when Gilbert equalised at the 12-minute mark, but Millicent was not about to bow down.
Shepherd hit the scoreboard again 21 minutes into the contest and the guests were back in front.
Intensity levels were rising and a late penalty awarded Inter the equaliser, with Gilbert putting it through to level the playing field at half time.
Much of the second half was an arm wrestle, with Shepherd completing her hat-trick in the 47th minute before a long patch of goal-free competition.
Eventually Inter equalised for the final time and Gilbert scored her third goal in the 73rd minute to tie it at three-all.
It was a fitting end to a hard-fought game, but both teams will be eager to notch up wins in Round 4.
GAMBIER CENTRALS 3 d BLUE LAKE 2
Gambier Centrals caused an upset over Blue Lake when it claimed a 3-2 victory in Round 3 of Limestone Coast women’s soccer on Saturday.
The Lions hosted the clash and manage to put a goal on the board in the final minutes of the first half through Andi Corfield.
That gave them a handy one-goal buffer at half time, capping off a hard-fought opening term.
Blue Lake returned fire early in the second half with two quick goals.
Pip Crewe opened the ledger for the Rangers in the 43rd minute, before Aimee Brooks found the back of the net in the 50th.
Unfortunately for Blue Lake its new-found lead did not last long.
Just three minutes later Isla Dickson found an avenues to goal and tied things back up.
Shortly after Dickson was back in the spotlight and when she scored her second goal at the 65-minute mark that would be the match.
Both teams pushed hard in the final stages of the clash, but in the end Centrals held on for a 3-2 win.
The Lions still sit below their rival on the premiership ladder, but have bridged the gap to sit third to Blue Lake on percentage alone.
APOLLO 10 d NARACOORTE 1
Goals were in high supply at Naracoorte on Sunday when Apollo’s women visited for Round 3.
At the final whistle Apollo had amassed 10 goals, with some impressive performances across the ground.
Apollo gave Naracoorte strikers a hard time and only conceded one goal for the match, which came in the form of a penalty in the second half.
That was put through by Sophie Hole, but with the margin still at 6-1 it was little more than damage control by that point.
Apollo wasted no time hitting the scoreboard and Demi Ingley scored the first of the day in the fourth minute.
Soon after Deni Atkin slotted her first of five, followed by number two and three before the break.
Alix Lescure put one through early in the second term and she would go on to finish with a hat-trick.
Toni Ingley-Smith backed up Lescure with another quick goal, before Naracoorte managed to defend their opponent for the next 23 minutes of regulation time.
However, the hosts could not hold out forever and when Lescure bagged her second goal, the flood gates opened again.
Atkin popped up again, before Lescure scored her third and final goal and Atkin finished things off with Apollo’s 10th goal of the day.
The percentage-boosting result has Apollo sitting a win clear on top of the premiership table with an impressive goal difference of 16 after just three games.
They will head into this weekend with confidence, but will not take Gambier Centrals lightly following the Lions strong outing against Blue Lake.
Their meeting will be played at Apollo on Saturday, while Millicent will host the Rangers in what could be an interesting clash, also on Saturday.
On Sunday Naracoorte will play at home again and will hope for an improved outcome against International.
