Calder United SC defeated FC Bulleen Lions 2-0 in the Nike F.C. Cup Final in front of a capacity crowd at The Home of the Matildas on Sunday, August 13.
The victory marked the sixth-straight title for the women’s football powerhouse and the first under new coaches Helen Winterburn and Nathan Maiorana.
Following the final whistle, Maiorana said his team was “simply amazing”.
“I am really happy with the girls as a collective and really proud of them and I hope they put smiles on the ones who supported them and hopefully they are proud of what we have achieved,” he said post-match.
“At the beginning of the year, I don’t think it was an expectation but I think we definitely exceeded and improved throughout the year.
“We didn’t change much, we stayed calm throughout the whole year and we hit our peak at the right moment and then today it was a good professional performance.
“It was a tough match, I think it was quite equal, but we did well and hung in there, stuck to the plan and eventually got the win which was well deserved.”
Calder faced an unusual lead-in to the final, facing Bulleen only one week prior in an NPLW catch-up fixture, which provided them with the perfect opportunity to prepare for the big clash.
“We prepared well, I think the victory came two weeks ago, we were well prepared for them, and our victory today definitely came from that,” Maiorana explained.
“We were considering whether we change it up for the first one or for the final, but we just stuck to the plan and we just added layers to what we do observed what they do, and tweaked it a little bit, but we pretty much just stuck to the plan.
“We were able to keep possession of the ball and make good decisions.
“Collectively they were amazing, Kiewa Hieda going forward was excellent, she is so deceptive, she is very versatile and can get behind and dribble through the defence, she was excellent.
“Our back four was solid from Jules, Tash, Annie and Mon they were all very solid and kept them out.”
AS IT HAPPENED
Following the conclusion of the highly entertaining Nike F.C. Community Cup, the crowd number started to rise along with the atmosphere and excitement around the kick-off.
As the players emerged from The Home of the Matildas facility, the star power was clear to see and everybody in attendance knew they were in for a compelling battle between two of the state’s best women’s outfits.
The two teams tussled for possession in the early minutes of the match before Bulleen’s Alana Jancevski found herself one-on-one with Calder keeper Alyssa Dall’Oste but her effort bounces back off the left upright.
Following the early chance, Calder started to show why they reign supreme in big games with Alana Cerne asserting herself with dashing runs from defence, setting up a number of attacking plays.
In the 23rd minute, Calder came within inches of going ahead when Keiwa Hieda dribbled her way deep into the Bulleen box, but her shot was saved by keeper Gabby Garton.
Carnage followed for Bulleen with the Lions forced to make two early substitutions with Claudia Mihocic being replaced by Faith Stephenson and Lia Muldeary replaced by Aroha Little.
Calder forwards Kiewa Hieda and Raquel Deralas were proving a handful for the Bulleen, however, Alex Natoli proved absolute in defence as the first half ticked past the half-hour mark.
Bulleen’s Paige Zois and Aroha Little continued to show their quality, linking up to give Beattie Goad a look on goal before the 35th minute, however reliable Calder defender Julia Sardo was able to get a handy foot in the way to set up a Bulleen corner.
Paige Zois whipped the ball in and it looked to sit nicely for Katie Beck but the weight of numbers proved handy for Calder as they were able to clear the football and get out of danger.
Calder's Kiewa Hieda had another chance to open the scoring at the 37th-minute mark after being set up by Julia Sardo, however, her cutback failed to find a teammate.
On the brink of half-time, Bulleen had a golden chance to go ahead through captain Tiffany Eliadas, however, Julia Sardo was able to get a faint touch on the ball – resulting in both teams heading into half-time yet to register a goal.
The first chance of the second half came through Calder’s Kiewa Hieda who was able to dribble past three opponents and let rip on a powerful shot from outside the box, however it sailed above the crossbar.
Bulleen breathed life into the contest with Paige Zois played on goal by Maja Markovski, but Calder keeper Alyssa Dall’Oste flew out to deny her, and then the follow-up from Markovski was blocked on the line.
Calder’s Lucy Richards caused a heavy pass by Bulleen keeper Gabby Garton in the 77th minute, Kiewa Hieda was then able to grab possession of the ball and cut the ball back for Richards who finished perfectly to give the reigning Champions the lead.
After giving up the opening goal, Bulleen gave everything they had to find an equaliser but was unable to finish, coming agonisingly close in the 89th minute with Alana Burn nearly squeezing the ball in with a free-kick on the edge of the box.
Calder was able to absorb all the pressure applied by the Lions and finish the match in the 90th minute with Kiewa Hieda finding a Julia Sardo forward run who cut the ball back for Raquel Deralas who drilled the ball into the back of the net.
Kiewa Hieda claimed Theresa Deas Medal
Calder United attacker Kiewa Hieda was named best on the ground and claimed the Theresa Deas Medal for her efforts in setting up her side’s two goals.
“I am so happy, Hieda said post-game.
“It was a very tough game, I am so tired.
“I was so happy and relieved when we scored, I am so proud of the team. Every game has been so tough, but I am so proud of the players, staff, and everyone involved at the club.”