Pride Women Pass Souths Test
Words: Matt Dorman
Western Pride Women saw a two-goal advantage wiped out before eventually fending off Souths United Women 4-2 at Wakerley Park on Sunday.
Souths quickly pulled level after the restart to appear on track for their first points of the season, only to be undone by undone by two late blows.
Victory ends a four-match losing run for Pride and marks a significant defensive improvement on recent weeks.
Souths turned in an impressive effort to keep Sunshine Coast Women to a single goal last week but fell 2-0 behind within 30 minutes of their fifth-last match of the season.
Kara Mowbray tapped home the opener when a mixup between defence and goalkeeper gifted her the chance to make it 1-0.
Georgia Harper added Pride’s second just two minutes later, the 18-year-old winger smashing into the roof of the net after good build-up down the left.
Souths weren’t without their own openings in the first 45 minutes and came roaring back into the contest after the break.
Youth Women’s product Brianna Phillips first handed the hosts hope in the 53rd minute when she latched on to a through ball and calmly rounded the goalkeeper to finish.
It was 2-2 just moments later as Renee Montgomery got on the end of a long ball over the top to shoot inside the near post.
An even contest then developed with neither side able to create a clear-cut opportunity ahead of the final 10 minutes.
The visitors eventually seized the advantage in the 83rd minute courtesy of Veronica Williams’ clinical finish from just outside the area.
Souths were this time unable to find a way back with Williams sealing the result by shooting into the bottom left corner with the final kick of the game.
Speaking after the match, Souths coach Byron Hellmuth praised his side’s resilience but conceded the effort to come back took its toll.
“We had a good talk at half-time, they took everything on board and it showed with those two quick goals. Unfortunately just our legs and our bodies were dying very quickly,” Hellmuth said.
Western Pride assistant coach Pye Augustine hoped the result would spur on the Ipswich side to finishing the season strongly.
“It was a better performance than in weeks gone by. We sort of went to sleep at the beginning of the second half (but) we finished off that half better than we started so that was good,” Augustine said.
Souths United FC Women 2 (Brianna PHILLIPS 53’ Renee MONGTOMERY 56’)
Western Pride FC Women 4 (Kara MOWBRAY 26’ Georgia HARPER 28’ Veronica WILLIAMS 83’, 90’+3)
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