Image: Emily Mogic
Bulleen Lions and Heidelberg United won through to the Team App Cup final after contrasting contests at Jubilee Park on Sunday.
The Lions had a mostly straightforward 8-1 win over reigning champions and State League One outfit Boroondara Eagles, while Heidelberg’s match with Alamein FC went down to the wire on penalties after a 2-2 draw in regulation time.
In the early fixture, goals to Lia Privitelli, Keely Lockhart, Shelby Green, Dani Gudelj and doubles to Em Coppock and Beattie Goad were more than enough to outdo Ellen Turner’s spot kick.
It could have been different early when a foul on the edge of area led to penalty appeals from the Eagles which were waved away.
At the other end, a cross that wasn’t dealt with by Maddie Webster was tapped in by Privitelli for the early lead.
However, the Eagles kept plugging away and finally earned a penalty of their own when Rhiannon Jacobs was clumsily felled in the area, with Turner stepping up to score the equaliser.
There were no real indiciations that this was a clash between an NPLW and state league outfit, with both sides heading towards the break equal.
However, that all changed when a shot by Lockhart deflected off defender Chantal Katerelos into the goals to see the Lions lead 2-1 at half time.
That effectively changed the whole direction of the contest, with Bulleen coming out firing after the break and piling on six goals.
Em Coppock was the early beneficiary, nodding in from Dani Gudelj’s pinpoint diagonal delivery from right back.
She then had her second when Natasha Lusi found Privitelli in space, whose ball into the box was bundled by defence into Coppock and into the goal.
Goad then got in on the act, waltzing through and sliding past Webster for 5-1. Shelby Green also had a productive cameo, tapping in from a corner situation.
Lockhart then teed up Goad for a tap in for her second of the game.
Gudelj saved the best for last, however, bombing in a long shot from fullback that sailed over the keeper’s head for a spectacular finish.
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In the second game, strikes to Leigh Gray and Elise Mamanu-Gray were cancelled out by Melina Ayres and Hanna Keane, with penalties falling the way of Heidelberg in an absolute thriller that ended 6-5.
Alamein looked to race out of the blocks early when Hannah Keane took possession and drove a long shot that rocketed off the crossbar.
The ensuing corner also led to a shot that hit the woodwork, but salt was rubbed into the wound when the counter-attack led to the ball landing at Leigh Gray, who outmuscled and turned her defender before dribbling into the area and beating Melissa Maizels in goals.
It got even better for the Bergers not long after when Joey Cartwright won the ball and passed to Gray, who turned and played Mamanu-Gray through – her first effort was blocked by Maizels, but the rebound fell to her feet for an easy finish.
With Heidelberg looking comfortable at 2-0 with half-time approaching, the game was turned on its head as a bouncing ball presented Ayres the chance to unleash a lob from outside the box, which sailed over Melissa Barbieri’s head to halve the deficit.
On the stroke of the break the ledger was squared when Ayres turned provider for Keane, who powerfully volleyed in at the back post.
The second half, despite seeing no goals, had plenty of talking points.
Ayres almost doubled her own tally from the outset as her long shot cannoned off the crossbar.
At the other end, Steph Galea won a challenge on the wing and found Gray in space in the box, but Maria Patrikis put in a crucial goal-saving challenge to block the ball out for a corner – the ensuing set-piece saw Rita Mankowska’s header on target for Maizels to pull off an acrobatic save.
A big flashpoint came later in the half when a bouncing ball saw Gray lead the race on goal only to be taken down by Christine Pfeiffer, who saw only a yellow for her efforts.
However, the professional foul outside the box denied either a shot on goal or a penalty, and Gray’s subsequent free kick flew over the bar.
The last real chance in regulation time saw Mamanu-Gray be the next to try a lob from a bouncing ball holding up on the synthetic turf, but her effort missed agonisingly wide.
The extra 30 minutes saw chances either way that could have ended the contest before penalties – Keane waltzed her way through on goal to hit a shot wide which flashed across the face, while a Julia Nicolaci left-footed effort hit the crossbar.
The shootout saw plenty of drama as well.
Hannah Keane missed her first shot before being asked to take it again, with the ruling being that Barbieri moved off her line too early – Keane re-took the penalty and scored, leaving the ex-Matildas legend furious at the decision.
However, the yips didn’t end there for the usually prolific scorers who would have been counted on the most to score.
Melina Ayres – top scorer in the league – blazed over the bar, while Gray was denied next shot by a good diving save from Maizels.
Britt Thomas hit a shot straight at Barbieri, leaving Mamanu-Gray with the opportunity to seal the winner, and she made no mistake, sending her side into raptures and into the final.
It sets up a fascinating final between two heavyweights in the women’s game – Bulleen will be contesting their third straight Cup final (one win, one loss), while Heidelberg will be making their maiden appearance.