ONLY a win will suffice for the Swan Hill women’s soccer team this weekend when they travel to Bendigo to take on Epsom FC on Sunday.
After three consecutive defeats and last weeks 7-0 loss to ladder leaders Kyneton District, the Swans have fallen from the top six ahead of what has now become a must-win match for both teams.
The journeys of both Swan Hill and Epsom have run parallel for several seasons now, with both clubs spending several years as the bottom two, before starting the climb back up the ladder last season.
It was Epsom who broke their finals drought last season, with the Swans finishing one spot behind their rivals in seventh, with Swan Hill assistant coach Emma Pitts telling The Guardian that it was always a tough contest whenever the two teams meet.
“We’re expecting a tough game, they’re always competitive matches whenever we play Epsom and we’re expecting nothing different on Sunday either,” Pitts said.
“They’re fighting for a spot in the top six and so are we and quite simply, if we want to play finals the these are the games we need to get a result in.
“When we played earlier in the year there wasn’t much between us back then and even though we’ve improved, I would imagine so have they.
“They had a big win over Golden City last Sunday and that will have boosted their confidence, so we need to be ready and prepared to hit the ground running from the opening minute.”
The Swans secured a 2-0 win when the two clubs last played back in round 2, with Trinity Shelton and Charley Baskin the goal scorers on that occasion.
Since then, both Shelton and Baskin have gone on to be key contributors for the Swans, with Shelton scoring seven goals for the season and Baskin moving to play the key role of centre midfielder.
Although last Sunday was a game to forget for Swan Hill, there were several positives to take from the match according to Pitts, with several positional changes giving their team a different look.
“I liked the look of Abbey (Houlihan) up front alongside Trinity last week, but by the same token she gives us a lot of stability in defence,” Pitts said.
“We threw our team around somewhat last Sunday and to be fair, that probably affected the end result; that’s not making any excuses mind you or taking nothing away from Kyneton, but we kind of expected a score line like that.
“I liked the way Ruby (Smith) played in defence too, she was a good cover out wide in our back four without Sarah (Feltrin) as well so we may look to try her there again, but the good thing is we have plenty of options and plenty of players that can move into a different role or position if need be.
“We need to be flexible, but more than that we really need to compete hard and work hard for the ball when it’s in dispute.
“We play our best soccer when we don’t allow our opposition time and space and when we are physical on the ball – we need to get back to playing like that again.”
It will also be a big weekend for Swan Hill’s men’s team, who will take on Golden City SC on the road on Sunday.
The Swans climbed to second on the ladder following their 3-2 win over Border Raiders FC last weekend, but with Golden City sitting just two points below them in fourth, face another must-win game.
Cooper Fox, Liam Baldwin and Conner Brown all found the back of the net last weekend and have been among Swan Hill’s better players this season, along with defenders Jai Wright and Marcus Orlando.
Brown continues to lead the way as the Division 2 goal scorer, having booted 14 goals so far for the Swans, with Win Boe looming as the danger man for Golden City this weekend having scored 10 goals this season.
The only other team in action this weekend for the Swans is the club’s under 14 boys team, who will take on Kyneton District SC in Kyneton on Saturday morning.
It will be the first time the two teams have played this season after Kyneton District forfeited earlier this year for Swan Hill’s home game.
Swan Hill’s under 16 boys team has the bye.
