Women?s Super League Preliminary Final Review

The game?s only goal came from the penalty spot after Gina Atallah was bundled over in the box in the 67^th minute.  Fatmah Agar?s successful penalty was enough to see off a plucky Lady Hawks outfit.
Gladesville coach Paul Wade was a mixture of emotion at fulltime, expressing both relief and disappointment.
?I thought they played far better than we did today – they hassled us, chased us all over the park, played some good football and had a couple of great chances,? he said.
?I wouldn?t say we were lucky, but I would say we were outplayed today.?
?I don?t know what it was ? it?s not as if there was no space to play football.  Our ball movement was very slow and that was to their advantage.?
Edd Terry was understandably disappointed and rued his side?s inability to convert chances in goals.
?It was anybody?s game right till the end, but we missed a couple of chances,? he said.
?I thought our defense played reasonably well and I thought we played better football than they did in patches.?
?We?ve had a fantastic season, especially with all the injuries. The whole club?s had a fantastic year for rebuilding.?
Lady Hawks day got off to a bad start when they lost left back Steph Fyfe to injury in the warm up. Without a suitable replacement, under 16 fullback Dani Watson was drafted in from the crowd and performed admirably for 90 minutes.
Both sides started patiently as they tried to wrestle control of the midfield and keep the ball moving. Early on Gladesville looked to be attempting to exploit Lady Hawks? high defensive line.
In the 13^th minute, Elliot?s 40 yard free kick had Gladesville goalkeeper Rebecca Colechin stretching to tip over the bar.  At the other end, Danielle Bartells was having a great game in goals for Parramatta, coming off her line well to clear the danger.
Gladesville were making inroads down the left hand side through Alyssa Hardie, while the chances were coming thick and fast at both ends. Tamara Kunz?s free kick deflected off the wall and shaved the crossbar, while Zoe Kalos pummeled a shot into the side netting from a tight angle.
In the 42^nd minute, some nice interplay between Amanda Bowering and Liz Talarico brought about a free kick for the Ravens in a dangerous position, but Agar put it straight at the keeper.
Just two minutes later Bartells made another great save after a terrific 10-pass movement put Gladesville through on goal.
In the second period the game opened up, with both sides playing more direct football. Lady Hawks had perhaps their best period of the game but as the half wore on, Gladesville began to ask some serious questions.
Agar scuffed a header unmarked on the penalty spot in the 54^th minute. From the resulting goalkick Steph Lagudi was played into a one on one situation with Colechin, but sent her shot soaring into the carpark.
In the 60^th minute, Liz Talarico pounced on a loose ball off a corner, but her shot was deflected wide.  Lady Hawks were forced to clear off the line in the 66^th minute after some unrelenting Gladesville pressure.
The deadlock was broken in the 67^th minute when Attalah?s marauding solo run was brought to a halt in the penalty area, while the Ravens sought to consolidate their lead with a series of defensive substitutions.
Lady Hawks had three good chances to grab an equalizer in the final 20 minutes, but were unable to find the back of the net.
Gladesville controlled the final stages while the shadows lengthened and the sun set on Lady Hawks? season. Wild celebrations greeted the referees final whistle as the Ravens set up a mouthwatering rematch with arch-rivals APIA Leichardt in next week?s decider.
Gladesville Ravens 1 (Agar ?67)
Parramatta Lady Hawks 0
at Valentine Sports Park
Preliminary Final Results:
Reserve Grade: Gladesville Ravens 0 Eastern UNSW Lions 0 [Gladesville 4-3 penalties]
Under 16: Northbridge FC 1 Northern Tigers 0
Under 14: Parramatta Lady Hawks 2 Northbridge FC 1 [extra time]
Under 12: Northbridge FC 0 St George FC 0 [Northbridge 5-4 on penalties]
-By Ryan Cropp