Tigers dismantle Ravens to progress to Sapphire Cup final
The Northern Tigers booked their place in the inaugural Sapphire Cup Final with a commanding 4-0 victory over the Gladesville Ravens on Thursday night.
Two goals in either half were enough for Jake Stephenson’s team to routinely bring their semi final clash to a close at North Turramurra Recreation Area.
It took the home team 20 minutes to hit the front.
The Ravens struggled to clear the lines following a corner, while Ella Tonkin battled hard to win the ball and slip in Claudia Cholakian, who blasted her effort into the back of the net.
There was a large crowd in attendance who were making their voices heard and they hadn’t even stopped celebrating when Lily McMahon made it 2-0.
After scoring the first, Cholakian became provider, playing through an expert pass which sliced through the Ravens defence, allowing McMahon to run onto it and place it beyond Romina Parraguirre.
Parraguirre got a touch to the shot but not enough to keep it out.
The away side looked to reduce the deficit before the break but could not find a way through the Tigers defence – Siobhan Edwards and Lexie Moreno with the best opportunities.
Whatever the Ravens had spoken about at half time was thrown out the window 10 minutes into the second period, as McMahon recorded her brace and the Tigers’ third of the evening.
Keeping possession well and cutting inside from the left flank, Shadeene Evans delivered a good ball toward the near post, allowing McMahon to steal in in front of the defence and finish first time beyond Parraguirre.
With less than ten minutes remaining on the clock, the Tigers rounded off the scoring.
It was a brilliant individual effort from Caitlin Doeglas, who pinched the ball off the Ravens, dribbled in and let fly from just outside the area, finding the bottom corner with a strong finish.
It was a fine performance from the Northern Tigers who will now take on APIA Leichhardt for the opportunity to become the first ever Champions of the Sapphire Cup.
By Nikola Pozder
