Cold and windy conditions continued on Saturday for day two of the Emerging Matildas Championships in Melbourne, but the football once again delivered plenty of action.
Day two saw mixed results for Northern NSW Football, with the under-16s falling short, while the under-15s secured a strong victory, both against Football West.
Under-16s
The NNSWF under-16s were unable to get on the scoreboard as they went down to Football West.
Despite a positive start, including an early chance from Mackenzie Preston-Poole following a blistering run through the defence from Annika Driscoll before finding the striker in shooting range, NNSWF couldn’t convert their opportunities.
Football West found the only goal of the match from a well-positioned corner.
NNSWF showed effort in possession and looked to play forward when possible, but were ultimately unable to break through a disciplined opposition defence.
The under-16s will look to regroup and bounce back against Football NSW Regional tomorrow.
Under-15s
The under-15s produced a strong performance to claim a 3-2 win over Football West.
NNSWF started brightly and opened the scoring through Isla McGugan, who finished confidently to give her side the lead.
They continued to press and doubled their advantage when Summer Barden found the back of the net to round out the half and take a 2-0 lead at the break.
An own goal saw NNSWF claim victory after a dominating display of football which saw forward runs and attempts on goal. NNSWF defended well in the final few minutes of the match to deny the opposition the chance to find an equaliser.
The under-15s will aim to carry their momentum into their next match against Victoria White.
Northern NSW Football Talent Development Officer Brett Angell said there were positives to take away from both matches.
“The under-15s showed great resolve to overcome the disappointing result of the first match which hopefully puts them in a great position for tomorrow’s match,” Angell said.
“The under-16s had a disappointing performance compared to their first match and will look to bounce back tomorrow morning in the same vein as the under-15s have done.
“We’re looking forward to challenging our players tomorrow and seeing if they can achieve positive outcomes.”
More on the Emerging Matildas Championships
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