URUNGA Raiders produced a stunning second-half fightback to defeat Coffs United Lionesses 3-2 in a dramatic Women’s Premier League grand final at C.ex Coffs International Stadium on Saturday night.
The Lionesses came out firing and landed the opening blow inside four minutes when Saysha Hopkinson found the back of the net to give Coffs United an early 1-0 lead.
When Hopkinson struck again in the 32nd minute, the reigning champions appeared to have one hand on the trophy.
But Urunga refused to buckle.
Kate Fry breathed life into the Raiders’ challenge before half-time, pulling a goal back to send Urunga into the sheds trailing 2-1 and with renewed belief.
Coffs United had controlled much of the opening half, but the complexion of the contest changed after the break.
Urunga lifted the tempo, pressed higher and began to seize control as the Raiders hunted an equaliser.
They found it in the 54th minute when Cooper Andrews levelled the scores at 2-2, setting the stage for a grandstand finish.
With extra time looming, both sides threw everything into a pulsating final passage.
Andrews then produced the moment that would define the grand final.
From a corner, she weaved her way through the pressure before finding the decisive finish in the dying stages to complete Urunga’s remarkable comeback and seal a 3-2 victory.
The final whistle sparked jubilant celebrations as the Raiders successfully defended their Women’s Premier League grand final crown in one of the most dramatic finishes of the season.
Urunga coach Trevor Martin reflected on the roller-coaster journey over the last two weeks that ultimately led the Raiders to glory.
“Clearly we had to do better than we had in the first semi against Coffs. We didn’t match their intensity and placed way too much focus on their game rather than on just playing our own. That cost us,” Martin said.
“For the final we addressed that and went into this game feeling positive having had a very strong performance against Woolgoolga a week prior.
“Coffs’ early goal was a wake-up call but when they followed up to go two up it became a serious matter.
“Again I thought we weren’t matching their energy in those initial minutes and we were slowly transitioning to defend, but I’ve always insisted that we leave those negative moments behind and keep the focus on what we are doing well.
“We did that and settled into our match improving as time went on.
“I felt we gained momentum and started playing more minutes in the middle to front third which gave us good opportunities to score.”
Scoring a penalty and narrowing the deficit to one goal changed the course of the match.
“After we were awarded the penalty and scored, the pendulum had swung in our favour and confidence built.
“Coffs were always dangerous on the break, which meant we had to be careful to maintain possession and be organised when they had the ball, but I felt we were on top for long periods and created a lot of good opportunities of our own.”
Whilst the Lionesses had the momentum in the first half, as they game progressed into the second half, Urunga were piling on constant pressure.
“The two unanswered second-half goals probably reflected the game stats and, along with the hard work and never say die attitude, we came away with a well-deserved win.
“All in all it was a competitive and entertaining grand final that showcased the high level of football that the women’s premier league has reached. Games like this will only push it higher.
“Football is always the winner, but I should add how proud I am of this squad who had to deal with serious injury issues and key players being unavailable through the season.
“Our younger girls had to step up and because of them we kept our undefeated year intact with this match as a culmination,” concluded Martin.
By David WIGLEY
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