South Melbourne have well and truly earned their place in the Nike FC Cup Final; overcoming top VPLW contenders, the reigning Cup champions, and producing clinical performances on their path to a maiden title shot.
Round 4
Eltham Redbacks 0–3 South Melbourne
South Melbourne began their 2025 Nike FC Cup campaign with an away trip to Eltham North Reserve on April 16, taking on VPLW outfit Eltham Redbacks.
Despite facing opposition from a league below, South were made to work for the victory, with Eltham showing resilience in the opening half. A 29th-minute strike from former Western United forward Raquel Deralas was all that separated the sides at the break.
Deralas doubled the lead in the 56th minute, once again showing her class to give the visitors breathing room.
Canadian import Nikki Furukawa put the result beyond doubt, scoring in the 90th minute to seal a 3-0 victory and South’s progression to Round 5 of the competition.
Round 5
Avondale 1–2 South Melbourne
Billed as a dream clash between the top sides of the VPLW and NPLW, South Melbourne edged out Avondale 2-1 at The Home of the Matildas to book their spot in the quarter-finals.
Avondale brought a star-studded lineup to Bundoora, featuring 2023 NPLW Gold Medalist Kurea Okino and 2024 VPLW Golden Boot leader Addison Steiner leading the attack. With Brooke Bennett in goal and Matilda Elise Kellond-Knight anchoring the midfield, South were held scoreless through the first half as both sides entered the break locked at 0-0.
But it was Raquel Deralas who once again sparked South into life, breaking the deadlock in the 64th minute. Meisha Westland then doubled the lead in the 71st minute with a composed finish.
Avondale pulled one back late, with Kellond-Knight setting up Steiner for a consolation goal, but South held firm to claim a hard-fought victory and advance to the next round.
Quarter-Finals
South Melbourne 2–0 Spring Hills
South Melbourne returned home for their Quarter-Final clash against fellow NPLW side Spring Hills on July 2.
Despite a slow start to their league campaign, Spring Hills presented a tougher challenge than expected, bolstered by the inclusion of 2024 NPLW Gold Medalist Maja Markovski.
South captain Francesca Iermano struck early, giving the hosts the lead in the 16th minute. The physicality soon ramped up, with Spring Hills' Cristina Sousa receiving a yellow card before half-time.
After the break, Olivia Bomford doubled South’s advantage in the 50th minute, putting further pressure on the visitors. That pressure told soon after, with Spring Hills reduced to 10 when Natasha Dakic was shown a second yellow.
The home side defence stood up as the match wore on, particularly through aerial threats aimed at Markovski, securing a 2-0 win and a place in the Semi-Finals.
Semi-Final
FC Bulleen Lions 2-3 South Melbourne
Lakeside Stadium hosted a blockbuster semi-final between South Melbourne and arch-rivals Avondale — a fixture steeped in recent history and Grand Final drama. South Melbourne edged out a dramatic 3-2 win over Bulleen Lions at The Veneto Club to book their place in the 2025 Nike FC Cup Final.
After eliminating Avondale in the quarter-finals, South faced their toughest challenge yet — a Bulleen side aiming to defend their Nike FC Cup crown on home turf.
Raquel Deralas wasted no time making an impact, opening the scoring in the very first minute,her third opening goal of the campaign to set the tone for a thrilling semi-final.
Tensions escalated as the match wore on, with Hollie Massey shown two yellow cards and sent off before the hour mark. Despite being a player down, Bulleen responded with class as Sarah Cain fired home a long-range equaliser in the 73rd minute, before Ava Briedis added another stunner with five minutes on the clock to give the hosts a shock lead.
But South weren’t done. Francesca Iermano hit back almost instantly to level the score, and in the dying seconds of regulation, Nikki Furukawa delivered the knockout blow, scoring the match-winner in the 90th minute to send South into the decider in the most dramatic fashion.
2025 Nike FC Cup Final: South Melbourne V Heidelberg United
- Sunday, August 10 @ The Home of The Matildas