Redemption was sweet for Macquarie United in the first grade women’s qualifying semi-final as they defeated reigning premiers RSL 78s 3-2 at Lady Cutler Oval.
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The sky blues will now face the Wellington Wildcats in the grand final this weekend, with a chance to claim the premiership the dark blues denied them in 2016.
It was a dramatic end to 2017 for RSL 78s, who lost their keeper to a red card in the second half when the scores were all tied up at 2-2.
A handball outside the box led to the controversial send-off, which Macquarie coach Dave Jeffery said was a turning point for his side.
“For any team to lose their keeper is tough, and then obviously they were a player down on the field so it was definitely a turning point,” Jeffery said.
“But RSL being RSL you can never count them out – even with 10 players.”
The game was a tight one from the outset, but an early goal from Macquarie boosted confidence and they followed up with a second to score 2-0 at the break.
But RSL 78s bounced back in typical, dominant fashion, slotting two goals of their own to draw level in the second. Then drama struck.
Keeper Mandy Campion came out of her box to defuse a one-on-one situation, making a play at the ball as the dark blues’ last line of defence. But she was deemed to have contacted the ball with her hand outside the box – a red-card offence.
The subsequent penalty shot was defended well by RSL 78s and substitute keeper Hayley Cairns, but with only 10 players on the field, they couldn’t keep Macquarie out forever.
Jeffery said Macquarie’s win, as well as the previous week’s 2-1 semi-final loss to Wellington, served as a wake-up call for his side.
After becoming the first Macquarie side to claim a minor premiership in the club’s short history, Jeffery said they had been a bit overconfident going into that semi-final.
But the defeat, and subsequent game against RSL, had shown Macquarie the dangers of taking games for granted.
“I think they may have been a bit overconfident, a bit casual even,” Jeffery said of Macquarie’s semi-final.
“I think they may have found a new healthy respect, and they’ll go in much more grounded and ready to play [compared to the last time they faced Wellington].
“After being beaten … to miss out on getting straight into the grand-final, they were a bit down. They’re now very relieved and excited … and we’re feeling quietly confident.
“Wellington are a really good side … we’re expecting a tough game but we’re just happy that we’ve got a shot at winning the trophy.”
