Mariners women one step away from Westfield W-League Premiership

The Yellow and Navy women have been unyielding this season conceding defeat on only one occasion back in Round 3 against favourites Brisbane Roar, perfectly demonstrated by the side?s top of the table positioning one round from the end.
?The girls have been great this season, though there is still work to do, so we cannot get carried away; We are all expecting the girls to maintain the high level of concentration and intensity that we have shown so far,? commented Mariners? boss Stephen Roche.
The Mariners? women endured perhaps their most strenuous of matches in Round 9 in the ?F3 derby? against Newcastle Jets, overcoming the heat and a well organised Jets for a 3-1 final win.
Roche continued: ?They (Newcastle Jets) really had nothing to lose, and it was tough for our team, we did struggle early on in the match.
?I thought Jenna Kingsley was in great touch, though perhaps we did lack some mobility with our other strikers against the Jets.
?The positive is that the players were angry with themselves for conceding the goal we conceded ? our concentration has been great this season ? so the players were really down for conceding at the death in the first-half.
?We missed some chances in the first-half, though we got going in the second-half and we moved the ball well to tire them (Newcastle Jets) as the match wore on.?
The task at hand for the final match of the season at Bluetongue Stadium is to avoid defeat to finish the season first, and the Mariners will be out to keep morale sky-high heading into the finals series.
?We have a big opportunity to finish the regular season off well, though we are aware of how good Sydney FC are.
?They like to push the ball around and move forward, so we will need to be organised well and keep our shape both when in possession and when defending.?
The Mariners? boss enters the final round of the season with some selection headaches with captain Caitlin Cooper and Kelly Golebiowski both sitting out the match ? the latter possibly out for the season.
?At the back, we will need to re-shuffle as Caitlin (Cooper) has picked up the three yellow cards and will need to sit-out the match, which is not ideal in such an important match.
?Kelly?s (Golebiowski) situation is even more concerning for us as she will be out for a few more weeks; we hope that it isn?t for the entire season, though it is something that we will need to be prepared.?
The Central Coast Mariners women sit two points clear of Sydney FC at the top of the Westfield W-League ladder, one-week out from the finals series. The two teams met in the opening round of the 2009 Westfield W-League season at the Sydney Football Stadium where Stephen Roche?s side ran out 3-1 victors with Michelle Heyman opening her impressive tally, to-date, with a brace.
The Central Coast Mariners host Sydney FC at Bluetongue Stadium for Round 10 Westfield  W-League action this Saturday afternoon, 5 December, 2009 with kick-off set for 3:00 pm. Get out to support the Mariners women in their bid for an inaugural W-League Premiership win. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 concession, and will be available at the gate.

Westfield W-League 2009 Ladder

P = played | W = wins | D = draws | L = losses | F = goals for | A = goals against | GD = Goal Difference | Pts = points
Westfield W-League 2009 ? Leading Goal-Scorers
11 ? Michelle HEYMAN
6 ? Leena KHAMIS, Sarah WALSH
5 ? Racheal QUIGLEY
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 -By Joseph Carlucci