Old Rivals in Fierce Battle for Fourth Spot

It promises to go right to the wire – fourth spot on the Women’s NPL table line, and two arch-rivals going head to head in a catch up match at the Olympic Village on Sunday.

Heidelberg United trails South Melbourne by just a point going into the game, with the two set to meet in the final round of the season just three weeks later. One of the two teams will play finals this season, although the fast-finishing Box Hill United will still consider itself some outside chance of sneaking into that spot.

Earlier this season, the Round 9 encounter was a triumph for the ‘Berger girls. Melissa Garcia’s hat-trick was the highlight in the 5-1 win at Lakeside Stadium, and wouldn’t coach Bill Mihaloudis love somewhat of a repeat of that result?

In a season where both sides have shown some inconsistency, the battle may well be decided in the middle of the park. Sidney Allen’s dynamic presence will be a key factor in driving the ‘Bergers fortunes on the day. The consistent Elisabeth Robers will also be hoping for a big performance along with the experienced Elly Torre and Melissa Garcia. This group will need to be at their best in guiding some of their younger team mates in such a crucial match.

Ahead of such a big game, Mihaloudis is quietly confident of a good result following two games where the ‘Bergers have come away empty handed despite pushing the more fancied Alamein and Calder United all the way.

“We were really good in the second half against (top of the table) Calder United in the second half, so if we can take that sort of momentum into this weekend’s game, we’re confident we’ll come away with something from the game.”

“The last month or so has tested our depth, so it’s meant a couple of the younger girls from our Under 19s getting match time in the senior squad. We’ll need to be at somewhere near our best to keep our finals’ hopes alive.”

The teams will kick it off at 1:45pm AEST, this Sunday (August 11) at 1:15pm, preceded by the Under 19s at 11:45am.