The semi-finals of the VPLW are upon us this weekend with two tantalising matchups to determine who will play off for championship glory.
The red-hot Preston Lions host Melbourne University at 8 pm on Friday, August 19 at B.T Connor Reserve, and Boroondara-Carey Eagles will take on Southern United on Sunday, August 21 at 2 pm at Carey Sports Complex.
Preston Lions v Melbourne University
The Lions head into this clash overwhelming favourites after claiming the premiers plate, however the beautiful thing about finals football is anything can happen and Melbourne University won’t lie down without a fight.
Preston has played a near-perfect season, only losing one game for the season and winning 12 games in a row to end the normal season.
The Lions have been lethal in front of goal all season with Rachel Stirton (26 goals) winning the golden boot, while Keiwa Hieda (15 goals) and Miri Nishimura (13 goals) have also had outstanding seasons which has led to a crazy 69 goal difference.
Preston president David Cvetkovski said the side will continue to play its attacking style which has held them in good stead throughout the season.
“Preston doesn’t play to finish fourth, Preston plays to win championships and we play to score goals,” he said.
Mr Cvetkovski ensured the team was not getting complacent and was preparing as if it was a regular season match.
“Coach Dan Potter would not give them an inch in terms of switching off or taking anything for granted,” he said.
“Having a home game this week, hopefully, is an advantage for us.”
‘The girls have not once spoken about any past games and know that if they are 3-5% down mentally or physically they can get beaten.”
Mr Cvetkovski said he was “extremely proud” of the girl’s efforts this season to finish three points clear on top of the ladder.
“Within our first full season of playing to be top again is a great achievement by these girls,” he said.
“We have rebuilt the brand and Preston the product, the women’s program has come a long way.”
In round 8, Preston defeated Melbourne University 1-5 with Rachel Stirton scoring a brace and goals to Monica Fonua, Keiwa Hieda, and Natasha Inia.
In the return clash, the Lions were just as dominant, winning 7-1 in front of their home fans.
Rachel Stirton enjoyed another day out with four goals, while Miri Nishimura, Olivia Edwards, and Bianca Trimboli scored one goal each.
Melbourne University finished the season fourth on the VPLW ladder with 10 wins from 18 matches.
Striker Brydie Siryj has enjoyed a fantastic season, scoring 20 goals and finishing the season second in the golden boot.
Melbourne University SC vice-president Sasha Naidoo said the girls were “stoked” to have made it to the semi-finals.
“It is good to see we have the players with the abilities to match it with the best, especially because we are a community-driven club,” he said.
“We didn’t have a great season last year, so they are pretty happy where they are.”
Ms Naidoo said the team wasn’t going to change anything to do with their preparation heading into the match.
“They are not putting too much pressure on themselves,” she said.
“It is going to be a really tough match and they will be prepared for that, but we are different from most clubs as the culture and the good vibes are what people prioritise.
“They will always work hard for each other and their amazing coach.”
Boroondara-Carey Eagles v Southern United
This sudden-death matchup provides the most intrigue heading into the weekend, with both teams evenly matched throughout the season.
Boroondara-Carey ended the season second on the VPLW ladder with 15 wins, only three points behind league-leaders Preston.
The Eagles have been incredibly dangerous this season, with a whopping 48-goal difference. Ellen Turner and Margot Robinne (6th in golden boot) led the way with 11 goals, while Marguerite Eudes also had a standout year with 10 goals.
Club administrator Dilan Lomas said getting the chance to play in a cup competition should be “a bit of fun” for the girls.
‘Heading into the season we prioritised obtaining promotion, but ideally, we wanted to finish in the top two which we achieved,” he said.
“The finals are a great opportunity is always good preparation for next year and have a final look at some players.”
With only one goal separating the two sides across two matches this season, Mr Lomas said the team expects a tough contest.
“We haven’t scored many goals against them this year so we are aware of their ability although we have the self-belief that we can and will play the way we want to play,” he said.
“We play attacking football and we love to get going forward quickly and we want to score as many goals as possible, that’s the formation we play.
“We have a lot of confidence, we created a lot of chances in both games against them this season, but we need to score this time.
“We are very much going out to win, but this weekend is more about playing the way we want to play and seeing how that goes against top opposition.”
If the Eagles were able to obtain promotion to the NPLW Mr Lomas said it would be a “massive” achievement.
“The girls have historically always been a huge part of women’s football in Victoria,” Mr Lumis explained.
“In the three to four years before the NPLW was created, we were one of the strongest sides in Victoria.
“We want to be in the highest league possible to ensure we can foster the ability and keep our players instead of them going elsewhere for high-level football.”
In round four, the Eagles got the better of Southern United 1-2 in a hotly contested matchup.
Rebecca Lim (11th minute) opened the scoring before Marguerite Eudes doubled the Eagles’ lead in the 52nd minute. Courtney Aughtie was able to provide hope for a comeback in the 72nd minute, however, it was all too late.
When the sides met again in round 13 both sides were forced to settle for a 0-0 draw at the State Football Centre in Thornbury.
After finishing third in the home and away season, Southern United have the self-belief they can cause an upset and defeat Boroondara-Carey this Sunday.
“They can definitely do it if they put their minds to it,” Southern United secretary Tanya Butler said.
“We are down a couple of key players due to injury, but our head coach rested a few of our key players last week due to some niggles so we should be cherry ripe for the match.”
Isabella Fernandez looms as the biggest threat up forward for Southern United with 10 goals for the season, finishing ninth in the golden boot race.
Mrs Butler said the believes the team’s strong defensive record should allow them to hold off the Eagles’ attack.
“Brian Roberts has the team playing pretty defensively so it should be an interesting matchup,” she said.
“We held up pretty well in our previous two games, so we are pretty confident we are in with a good shot.”
If the club were to be successful in obtaining promotion to the NPLW, Mrs Butler said it would be an “amazing” result for the club.
“Financially we will be fine, and our facilities are amazing. COVID-19 helped us financially surprisingly, our coaches were great and said not to worry about paying them,” she explained.
“We would hopefully have a decent budget to be able to get some decent players in and playing more games at home would certainly help with the overall team morale.”