Our Youth Women’s came back from 2-0 down against SD Raiders to secure their spot in the FNSW League One Women’s Grand Final
Lineup: 1. Ally Boertje (GK), 5. Aaliyah Kilroy, 15. Lara Turner, 16. Layla Sharpe, 17. Lillia Rae, 18. Mackenzie Preston-Poole, 19. Makayla Clifton, 33. Sarah Patmore, 36. Sophie Howarth, 37. Navah Crofton (C), 38. Isabella Walshe
Subs: 7. Charlotte Lowrie, 13. Julieanne Fox, 26. Ellie Boulton, 35. Sunny Alston, 40. Lily-Rose Dunbar (GK), 70. Matilda Fleming
SD Raiders opened the scoring in the 12th minute through Golden Boot winner Taiana Almeida. Aoife Horgan fired from outside the box, with her effort crashing into the crossbar. The Youth Team weren’t able to clear the danger, leading to Almeida pouncing on the loose ball and tucking it away into the bottom corner.
The Raiders were able to double their advantage just six minutes later, as they made the most of a set piece right in front of the halfway line. The ball was swung into Almeida, who shinned the ball down to Horgan, this time finding her range as her long-distance strike sailed into the top-left corner, beating Boertje at full stretch.
The stats were in SD Raiders favour going into halftime, as they had two shots to the Youth Teams 0, scoring from both. They’d also been able to put further pressure on the team through a further seven corners.
Things seemed to go from bad to worse in the 55th minute, as SD Raiders were awarded a penalty after Almeida was brought down inside the six-yard box. Almeida stepped up to the plate, firing her penalty towards goal only for Ally Boertje to pull off a stunning save to deny Raiders a third goal.
Boertje’s penalty save, alongside a triple-substitution, injected energy into the Youth Team, with Mackenzie Preston-Poole clawing a goal back in the 62nd minute. Substitute Matilda Fleming slipped Preston-Poole in on goal, with the dynamic winger touching the ball past the SD Raiders keeper before finishing into the empty net.
Preston-Poole turned provider in the 83rd minute, powering past the full-back before cutting the ball back to Makayla Clifton, who smashed the ball past Pentecost and in to the back of the net, levelling the scores at 2-2 and sending the game to extra-time.
Neither side had any clear-cut chances to take the lead in extra-time, the closest effort coming through SD Raiders’ Horgan, who took aim from outside the box but didn’t threaten Boertje in goal. The score remained locked at 2-2 at the end of extra-time, sending the game to penalties.
SD Raiders scored their first penalty, before Pentecost saved Preston-Pooles penalty. Boertje saved the next penalty, allowing captain Navah Crofton to equalise with her penalty, smashing it into the top left corner. Ally Boertje stepped up again, saving a second penalty in a row before Makayla Clifton calmy rolled her effort down the middle, sending Pentecost the wrong way. The Raiders found a lifeline, as their fourth penalty found the top right corner. Kilroy followed up, also dispatching her penalty into the top corner. Almeida stepped up for the fifth penalty for SD Raiders, but Boertje matched her for the second time in the game, saving her third shootout penalty and fourth of the game to send the Youth Team through to the Football NSW League One Women’s Grand Final.
Penalty hero Ally Boertje spoke to Football NSW post-match, giving her thoughts on the incredible come-from-behind victory,
“I can’t even put it into words, I’m still in shock. The girls fought really hard, I’m so proud of them. Coming in as the underdogs, and SD Raiders beating us in both games [in the regular season], to come back from 2-0 down and win I’m just so proud.”
Coach Jamie Dunning also spoke to Football NSW, heaping praise on his shot-stopper,
“It was a great second half from the girls. We changed the game and it worked for us, hanging tough. [Ally] Boertje was amazing and she had a fantastic game to help us make the Grand Final.”
