The Woolgoolga Wildcats, who finished a distant 15 points behind the Coffs City United Lionesses in the regular season, proved that anything can happen in knockout football. In a match that will be remembered for years, the Wildcats clawed their way to a 4-3 victory after extra time, stunning the heavily favoured Lionesses.
When Ally Gadd sliced through the Woolgoolga defence to give the Lionesses a commanding 3-1 lead in the 68th minutethe writing appeared to be on the wall for Woolgoolga. But the Wildcats' vocal traveling supporters never wavered, urging their team on with every touch of the ball.
Their faith was rewarded in the 77th minute when Tash Mackie produced a moment of pure magic, smashing in a free kick from 25 yards to bring Woolgoolga back into the contest at 3-2. The Lionesses, desperate to regain control, were denied by a series of heroic goal-line saves from Wildcats keeper Abby Nudd, whose last-ditch efforts kept her team alive.
As time dwindled, the Wildcats threw caution to the wind, pushing players forward in search of an equaliser. Their persistence paid off when Tash Mackie once again stepped up, heading home to level the score at 3-3, sending the match into extra time and the Woolgoolga faithful into raptures.
With just minutes left in extra time, it was Chloe Webb, the proverbial fox in the box, who danced her way through the Lionesses’ defence to fire home the winner. The Wildcats’ supporters erupted as their team booked a place in the Women’s HIT 105.5 North Coast Premier League Grand Final, where they will face the Urunga Raiders at 5 pm on Saturday 7 September.
Here is the Grand Final schedule for the Weekend and how to purchase tickets:
