Girls Soccer State Finals

The girls arrived at the Darebin International Sports Centre full of nervous anticipation.  After getting changed into their new uniforms “Captain Carrie” gave a rousing speech about supporting each other and working together as a team. She was particularly strong in telling the girls how important it was to play in the right spirit.

They faced Bendigo South East College in the first match and were unlucky to be scored against early in the game. The free kick was carried by the wind over the keeper and found the back of the net. After halftime the girls left their nervousness behind and controlled the match for long periods of time creating opportunities but were unable to score.

The second match was against Maribyrnong Secondary College (selective sports school). In a very competitive match both teams were working the ball from end to end. Maribyrnong were first to score and go to a 2-0 lead before Bairnsdale scored to eventually go down by one goal again. The chance to qualify for the final evaporated despite their valiant efforts.

The final game against Canterbury Girls Secondary College was a chance to rest some players and give others an extended run with the result not having any bearing. The girls played well and everyone gave it their best with many players playing out of position and a new keeper in goals. The final 4-0 result did not really reflect the effort, spirit and skill the girls played with. A true reflection of how the team performed on the day was the genuine congratulations from the Maribyrnong coach who commended the girls on the quality of their play as individuals and as a team and the way that they played the game. Congratulations and well done girls. It was an outstanding effort to reach the state finals with only three girls who play on a regular basis. With a little luck the two early games could have produced different results. You clearly showed that you belonged there and were competitive at the highest level.

 The team:

Kayla Demko, Emily Donovan, Clarice Egan, Kerry Fox, Mal Gray, Jule Holland, Angela Janson, Carrie Jones, Sophie Lenz, Letiha Loveday, Leah Morgan, Haylie Peacock, Peg Sanders, Jessica Storer, Hayley Webb, Joyce Webb.