THE Swan Hill women’s soccer team overcame persistent rain and a determined opponent to kept their finals hopes alive with a hard-fought one-goal win on Sunday.
With torrential rain throughout the first half making for challenging conditions, the Swans stood tall when it counted to claim a 1-0 win over rivals Epsom FC.
Alycia Anderson’s first half strike proved to be the difference between the two teams, with Anderson completing a well timed pass from striker Trinity Shelton to give the Swans the lead in the 15th minute.
The win keeps the Swans in with a chance of playing finals, with Swan Hill sitting just one point behind sixth placed Spring Gully with a five win, seven loss home-and-away record.
With a top six in place in the women’s division, it was a result that was a must-win according to Swan Hill women’s assistant coach Emma Pitts, who spoke The Guardian following the match.
“That was a huge result for us in the context of our season, we just had to win that in order to keep our destiny in our hands and we did,” Pitts said.
“It was a tough win and one full of character because it was really difficult out there in those conditions.
“It was absolutely belting down with rain for the entire first half and it was freezing cold, but the girls hung in there and just worked themselves into the ground and we couldn’t be prouder.
“We had a lot of things going against us with the weather, playing away from home and missing a couple of girls, but they persevered and got the three points and that’s all we can ask for.”
While Anderson was the lone goal scorer, it was the Swans’ defence which earned particular praise from Pitts for their second half performance, with Epsom continuously challenging them in search of the match equalling goal.
“It was a game of two halves really, we were absolutely fantastic in the first half but we just made some silly errors early in the second half which put us under pressure and I think they (Epsom) grew in confidence from then on,” Pitts said.
“The ball lived in our defensive half for much of the second half, but our back four and our goal keeper Mardene (de Villiers) were just brilliant.
“We had our moments and maybe missed some tough opportunities ourselves on the counter, but with the weather as bad as it was, it made controlling possession at times difficult and I think we fell foul of that after half time.
“In saying that, we need to reduce the gap between our best and worst because it’s too great at the moment and if we want to continue deep into the season, it’s an area we need to improve in.”
Swan Hill’s men’s side were also in action on Sunday, with the Swans suffering a 3-1 defeat to Golden City.
That loss sees Swan Hill fall to fourth on the ladder at the mid-season break and with six games remaining in the home-and-away season.
After a tense and physical first half, the Swans found themselves trailing 2-1 at half time, with Conner Brown the lone goal scorer for the visitors.
Swan Hill would be without Brown in the second half after the striker suffering an injury which saw him leave the pitch and forcing the Swans to be without the leading goal scorer.
Despite Brown’s absence, Swan Hill continued to press but a 49th minute goal to Elliott Boucher put the match out of reach, with the final score ending at 3-1.
It was a better weekend for Swan Hill’s under 14 boys side however, with the Swans serving Kyneton District 9-0 on the road.
Zeke Simmons and Jesse Crooymans each scored twice for Swan Hill, with Konnah Green, James Mcgovern, Lysander Martin, Elijah Swartz and Conor Mcgovern also finding the back of the net.
