THE Swan Hill Soccer League men’s team have progressed to the semi finals of this year’s Bendigo Amateur Soccer League (BASL) League Cup competition following their 3-1 win over Strathfieldsaye Colts United on Sunday.
Swan Hill’s women’s team also secured their first win of the season, defeating Epsom FC 2-0 at home on Sunday in oppressive conditions.
The men’s victory means they will face off against BASL Division 1 team FC Eaglehawk in the League Cup semi-finals, to be held on Sunday, May 18.
Swans striker Conner Brown returned to his goal scoring best, scoring the opening goal of the match in the 15th minute.
Colts soon levelled the score 18 minutes later through Reece Yarwood, with both teams going into the main break level at one goal apiece.
It didn’t take long for Brown to impact the game again however, with the Swans talisman scoring four minutes into the second half, Chris Herman sealing the victory in the 79th minute with his first goal for Swan Hill.
It was a similar scenario for Swan Hill women’s team, who won their first points of the season over rivals Epsom FC with a hard-fought two goal win.
After a slow start, Swan Hill soon found their feet early in the first half, with their midfield creating several opportunities, before striker Trinity Shelton struck with the games first goal in the 29th minute.
While Swan Hill continued to press throughout the match, it wasn’t four minutes before full-time that the home side could finally breath easy, with Shelton again creating the play down the left side before passing to teammate Charley Baskin, who netted the match winner.
It was a performance that pleased Swan Hill women’s assistant coach Emma Pitts, who spoke after the match to The Guardian.
“It’s great for the girls to get that result, we deserved the win today and it was good for the playing group to get some reward for effort,” Pitts said.
“We were strong defensively and the fact that we keep a clean sheet is probably the most pleasing aspect of all I think, but that comes back to everyone playing their role and playing to the best of their abilities.
“If we can replicate the same effort and attack on the ball every week, we will be a tough side to beat.
“The challenge for us now is doing it consistently, week in and week out, because the girls have shown that we can not only compete against some very good teams but beat them when we play at our best.”
Among Swan Hill’s better players was Abbey Houlihan, Sarah Feltrin and Amity Scott in defence, with Heidi Annand also strong playing as a defensive midfielder.
The most pleasing aspect though, according to Pitts, was the improvement in the team’s passing and connection between their midfield and forwards, with Shelton, Baskin, Judaya Majur and Skye Bennett all influential across the 90 minutes.
“We did a fair bit of work on our ball movement up the field and our positioning at training during the week, so it was good to see that pay off and see the improvement in the group in that area on Sunday,” Pitts said.
“It’s still a work in progress, but we feel that we have a couple of really dangerous weapons at our disposal up front now and some genuine speed both on the wings and up forward.
“But in order for us to make the most of that advantage we need to keep improving.
“It was a positive result on Sunday, but we still have plenty of work to do.”
