A pair of masterstroke substitutions from manager Bob McGuinness helped Box Hill United to a comeback 2-1 opening round win over NPLW debutants Southern United.
An 89th minute goal to second-half substitute Ellen Wines sealed the result, after Melanie Camilleri had earlier headed home an equaliser to cancel out Tiffany Eliadis’ stunning opener.
The games early moments saw both sides spar for ascendency, with a cagey fight for possession leading to a scrappy first half.
Chances were kept to a premium, with players seldom seen taking the game on to their full effect.
Georgia Koutrouvelis offered plenty withe her bursting runs forward, while Christina Cardaci tried in spurts and successfully found Camilleri with a clever cut back from the by-line, but the powerful striker hit the side netting with her effort.
Eliadis took some time to adjust her radar, as she fired well wide with her first opportunity from the left wing.
A shallow goal-kick from Emily Shields saw Southern striker Brittany Dudley-Smith bear down on goal, only to be denied by the former Yarra Jets keeper who atoned for her poor pass out.
Shields got body on the next shot that came her way; unfortunately it only helped Eliadis’ stunning 20-yard drive head into the goals as the ball cannoned off the right post and into the keeper on its way to goal.
Dudley-Smith nearly doubled the lead after exploiting a missed interception, but Shields was there to parry away her left-footed drive.
Box Hill were released at the other end via a deep Kristina Hall cross, which picked out Elaina Vatcky on the left wing, only for Southern keeper Jaye Todd to spread herself wide to make a brave stop.
The second half was a much more open affair, as Box Hill wrestled to claim momentum from the visitors.
They weren’t without their luck however as some miraculous shot-stopping from Shields saw her deny Dudley-Smith from close range, then Eliadis on the follow-up, via a cruel deflection off the referee inside the 18-yard-box.
Southern’s inaugural captain Antonia Niteros returned to the heart of defence, after a 2015 season spent developing her skills as a striker.
She showed a glimpse of that technical ability with a long ball from defence to free up Eliadis who held off her defender, only for her low shot to get clawed away by Shields once more.
The follow up broke kindly for the former South Melbourne forward, who side footed towards an open net, only for Emma Littlewood to sweep clear and spare the blushes of her teammates.
In search of an equaliser, tinkerman McGuinness swapped from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2, deploying substitute Jasmina Pedic alongside Camilleri, and the pair combined almost immediately to restore parity.
A brilliant tailing cross from super-sub Pedic picked out the towering Camilleri, who nodded a looping header forward, over the advancing Todd to restore parity.
The other re-shuffle to accomodate the change of formation saw right-back Maggie Eudes deployed in her more familiar right midfield role, with Jaimee Williams moving from central midfield to right back.
The former NTC defender was a required player just beyond the hour mark, with a Saphri Lines shot cleared as it trickled towards the far post.
Dudley-Smith was denied twice in the space of five minutes by the brilliance of Shields before Madelaine Richardson and Hall both launched long-shots at the other end in a frenetic search for the winner.
Shields continued her brilliant afternoon’s work with a save off Eliadis, then to push a fizzing cross away from the wanting head of Dudley-Smith.
Her player-of-the-match performance didn’t go in vain as Box Hill snatched the game at the death via the work of another substitute Ellen Wines.
Receiving the ball on the edge of the box, she took a steadying touch, beating a defender in the process and steered a shot past Todd into the back of the net, with her teammates swarming the match winner with fervent elation.
“It’s really exciting to get a good win to start the season,” said Box Hill debutant Shields.
“We probably had a slightly slow start in the first half, but we put our heads down in the second and worked really hard. It worked much better in the second half so it feels good to come away with a win.”
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MATCH DETAILS
Box Hill United 2 (Camilleri 61′, Wines 89′) defeated Southern United 1 (Eliadis 20′) at Wembley Park [HT: 0-1]
Box Hill United: 1. Emily SHIELDS (GK), 14. Georgia KOUTROUVELIS, 11. Elaine VATCKY (22. Charlotte MCGILP 84’), 4. Madelaine RICHARDSON, 3. Renee ZAIRIS, 8. Melanie CAMILLERI, 23. Cristina CARDACI (9. Jasmina PEDIC 55’), 7. Jaimee WILLIAMS, 2. Kristina HALL, 16. Emma LITTLEWOOD, 15. Maggie EUDES (10. Ellen WINES 68’)
Unused Substitute(s): 6. Maia HEYSON
Yellow Card(s): Nil
Red Card(s): Nil
Southern United: 1. Jaye TODD, 12. Dani GALLUCCIO (17. Natasha DAKIC 60’), 5. Antonia NITEROS (c), 2. Chelsie SELLECK, 4. Anouk MEEREBOER (16. Shaunna MURRAY 68’), 6. Rebecca SABER, 3. Jessica MILLER, 9. Saphri LINES, 14. Tiffany ELIADIS, 11. Brittany DUDLEY-SMITH, 10. Candela FERREYRA BAS (19. Selena KARLSON 84’)
Unused Substitute(s): 20. Freya CROCKER
Yellow Card(s): Ferreyra Bas 75’, Selleck 90′
Red Card(s): Nil