Asha Davies opens her account with a sublime strike into the top netting from outside the box. Photos: Matthew Kappos
Photo by
Matthew Kappos
The Echuca Moama Border Raiders can seal promotion to the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League 1 in their final game, after recording a dominant win over Epsom Stingers in the penultimate round on Sunday.
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A challenging run of fixtures saw the Border Raiders drop points in each of their previous three games, with Golden City White taking top spot ahead of the Border Raiders’ clash with the Stingers at Moama’s Jack Eddy Oval.
Renata Kincaid beats her marker to the ball.
Photo by
Matthew Kappos
White had the bye this week, giving the Border Raiders the opportunity to take advantage of their game in hand and pass Golden City on goal difference.
That was precisely how things played out, with Echuca Moama making light work of the last-placed Stingers.
Paige Pinson looks to outfox her defender.
Photo by
Matthew Kappos
The action in front of goal started quickly, with Louise O’Callaghan striking earlier for the Border Raiders, and it wasn’t long before league-leading goalscorer Asha Davies also got in on the action.
Davies opened her account with a rocket into the Epsom top netting and would get her name on the scoresheet four more times before the final whistle.
O’Callaghan grabbed a brace, while Isabella Barton, Erika Love and co-coach Paige Pinson also contributed to the 10-0 scoreline.
“We’ve played some really tough teams in some really tough games (recently) so it was nice to just have a nice home game with a great team that we love playing,” Pinson said.
“They’re always great girls to play, they’re always a laugh so that’s good.”
Katherine Barnes was praised for a versatile performance against Epsom.
Photo by
Matthew Kappos
Pinson praised captain Erika Love for a typically solid shift and was also complimentary about the play of Katherine Barnes.
“(Barnes) had a cracking game,” Pinson said.
“I think we put her in three separate positions, and she did a great job in all of them.”
Erika Love tries to pick out a teammate between defenders.
Photo by
Matthew Kappos
The Border Raiders have returned to the top of the table on goal difference, tied on 34 points with Golden City White but possessing a 17-goal better margin.
With such a large gulf, a win should be enough for Echuca Moama to lock in the top spot and the automatic promotion that comes with it.
On paper, the local side shouldn’t be overly troubled by final opponents La Trobe University SC, but the Border Raiders are well aware that should Golden City defeat Strathfieldsaye Colts United, anything less than a win won’t be good enough.
Isabella Barton comes off the bench, replacing Kaylah Lochhead.
Photo by
Matthew Kappos
Despite a dominant victory, Pinson feels her side could have done more against Epsom, given the weight of possession they enjoyed.
“We’re looking to do some extra shooting drills this week, especially after our pretty abysmal effort of shooting on Sunday,” she said.
“Other than that we’re going to train hard, do some extra stuff, make sure the team morale’s up as well, that’s always a big contributor.
“We’ll hopefully try and get an extra session in on Thursday just to make sure we’re ready to go, especially for finals time coming up.
“We’ve got a week off (after the last round), so it’ll be nice to just try and get some extra work in now while we’ve got a chance.”
Louise O’Callaghan looks to create an opening towards goal.
Photo by
Matthew Kappos
In the men’s competition, the Border Raiders put in a strong performance, sharing the points with second-placed La Trobe University Red.
Joel Fataolisia continued his impressive scoring form, striking in the second half to allow the Border Raiders to escape with an important point.
Rivals for fourth place, Golden City White, had a percentage boosting 16-0 win against clubmates Golden City Black, allowing them to stave off the Echuca Moama challenge for fourth on goal difference.
The Border Raiders will need a big score against cellar-dwellers La Trobe Black, or for Golden City to slip up against Deniliquin, if they are to snatch fourth place in the final round.
