THE NAMBUCCA Strikers hosted Urunga Raiders 1 at the weekend in an eagerly anticipated local North Coast Football women’s match-up.
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With Urunga sitting in second place on the ladder and averaging an 11-1 scoreline per match, it was set up to be the classic ‘David and Goliath’ battle.
Nambucca, whose confidence grows week by week, had trained well in the lead up and were keen to give Urunga a run for their money. Kick off couldn’t come soon enough for the girls, and in warm sunshine, it was on.
Urunga attempted to dictate the match early on with their well-drilled passing game but the Strikers were fast on the ground and looking to disrupt their opponents with sheer grit and enthusiasm.
The first half hour was an even affair with both teams spending time deep in their opponent’s half. The three midfielders Anna Champion, Amie Goswell and Emily Lane were covering some ground and were showing Urunga they were well up for the physical battle. Accompanied by Zara Pastega and Sam Walsh out wide, they were proving to be a tough line for Urunga to get through and even if they could, the Strikers’ defence was rock solid.
Cheree Chapman, as always, was a thorn in her opponents’ side and Melissa Urquhart was putting in a season-best display, playing confidently out from the often-crowded last line of defence. Wide backs, Brea Welsh, Jess White and Jemma Burtonwood were used interchangeably and kept Urunga’s flying wingers in check.
Urunga were limited to long range efforts on goal but Strikers keeper, Carly Smith, was inspired, pulling of many top shelf saves.
It wasn’t until 35 minutes into the match that the deadlock was broken. Using their superior height in the box, Urunga found the back of the net via a header from their quality midfielder. And that’s how it stayed for the first half as both teams took a well-earned break. The strong local crowd was vociferous in appreciation of their team’s first half performance.
The second stanza played out much like the first with Urunga looking to work patiently to exploit any chinks in the Strikers’ armour. But the tight group refused to yield and looked to make incursions into the Raiders’ defence themselves.
Pastega’s service from the right was once again superb. Walsh was running herself into the ground and strikers Kyiesha Cohen and Terri White were rotated to good effect to ensure the intensity levels remained high. Keily Chase and Ella Lewis also played their part, coming on in shifts to disrupt the playmaking Urunga midfield.
It wasn’t until the 75th minute that the Strikers’ custodian was beaten again. A long-range shot, which came through a sea of bodies, was picked up late by Smith and Urunga had doubled their lead. They backed it up with another fortunate, deflected goal moments later.
Urunga would have been forgiven for expecting to open the floodgates, considering some of the scorelines they have posted this season, but Nambucca stepped up again. Despite running on fumes at this point they kept on turning up. Simone Jordan entered the fray late on and added some much needed fresh legs, hunting everything to lighten the load for her teammates.
Another late goal ended the match 4-0 with Urunga victors. In truth, the scoreline was harsh on the Strikers.
Having left everything on the field, they walked off with heads held high having pushed the perennial Premier League outfit to their limits for a full 90 minutes. A quote from former NFL player, Mike Ditka, sums up the girls’ performance: In the dust of defeat as well as the laurels of victory there is a glory to be found if one has done their best.
On Saturday the Strikers host Orara at Coronation Park from 1pm.
