By Warren Olson
While the top two teams in the Women’s Central League can look forward to summer’s National League, the remaining six sides finish their season this weekend.
The league title won’t be decided until the two clear-cut leaders, Waterside Karori and Wellington United Diamonds, play their postponed game the following week.
This weekend’s games are:
Petone v Victoria University
Petone v Victoria University
Petone will look for a home win to cap what has been a disappointing end to their season.
For a time, Petone were right in the fight to win the league.
A rare, and in her words, ‘miracle’ brace from Caelin Patterson saw them trouble league leaders Waterside Karori last week until they again conceded too many second-half goals.
Victoria University have been competitive all year, scoring their best win last week against strugglers Seatoun, when they ran out 5-1 victors.
A lack of depth at the top, with a number of students opting to play for the higher-profile Wellington United Diamonds, has made it difficult.
Sam Senior, has been a rock at the back, and will most likely be picked up by Karori for their National League campaign but for the rest, it will be time to hang up the boots till next year.
Prediction: Petone to win 3-0.
Seatoun v Palmerston North Marist
Still to chalk up a point and with a -46 goal difference, Seatoun would love to salvage something from the wreck in their final game of the season.
There have been patches of good play, and though the squad would have been disappointed that current Golden Boot leader Nikki Furukawa crossed the city to link up with Karori this season, they will still feel they have underperformed.
A probable drop to the Premiership next season may be a confidence booster.
Palmerston North will also be a tad disappointed not to be higher up the table.
Some strong performances have been countered by too many mediocre ones, but they did blood a number of young players, so will look forward to an improved showing next year.
It would be nice to see Seatoun get a point at home, and with the pitch likely to be waterlogged, anything could happen but I suspect Palmerston North may be too strong.
Prediction: Palmerston North to win 2-0.
Wellington United Diamonds v Taradale
Then match of the round pits champion hopefuls Wellington United against the league’s surprise package, Taradale.
The Hawkes Bay side have really finished their season strongly, and are currently on a five-game winning streak.
Much like their rivals for the top spot, Karori, United also struggled to put a mid-table side away last week until the influential Hope Gilchrist was moved up the pitch to the midfield.
That helped swing the game the Diamonds way, and a couple of second-half goals kept them just two points behind Karori with a game in hand.
United will be desperate for the win this week, which would then see them only needing a draw with current league leaders Karori to clinch the title in the following week’s postponed game.
The ‘Dale have really developed over the past few months as their younger players, in particular, have come to grips with playing in a faster and more physical league, so they won’t be any easy-beats.
Playing at home with the depth of attacking talent at their disposal and the fact that goalkeeper Molly Simons has only had to retrieve the ball out of the net four times all season, I would expect the Orange and Blues win.
Prediction: United to win 2-0.
Golden Boot
12 — Nikki Furukawa (Waterside Karori)
7 — Hope Gilchrist (Wellington United), Natalie Olson (Wellington United), Ruby-Aroha Gurnick (Palmerston North Marist), Danielle Ohlsson (Petone)
6 — Maddison Hughes (Taradale), Kendall Pollock (Waterside Karori), Kya Solomon (Taradale), Sasha Rasmussen (Moturoa)
5 — Pepi Oliver-Bell (Petone), Fernanda Toscani (Moturoa),
4 — Renee Bacon (Waterside Karori), Kennedy Bryant (Waterside Karori), Bella Cartman (Wellington United), Tessa Brownlie (Victoria University), Nicole Baird (Victoria University), Phoebe Gray (Petone), Hannah Pilley (Wellington United), Megan Thomas (Taradale)
3 — Libby Boobyer (Petone), Jemma Catherwood (Wellington United), Rihanna Houghton (Waterside Karori), Misha Koyari (Wellington United), Millie Lynskey (Victoria University), Kate Marra (Petone), Melissa McKenna (Palmerston North Marist), Caelin Patterson (Petone), Jemma Robertson (Wellington United), Grace Smith (Palmerston North Marist), Sydney Williams (Petone), Isabella Yarwood (Palmerston North Marist)
Fixtures
Game to be played on Saturday August 31, 2024
Petone v Victoria University
Petone Memorial Park, Petone, 11am
Seatoun v Palmerston North Marist
Seatoun Park, Seatoun, 12.30pm
Wellington United v Taradale
Newtown Park, Newtown, 2.30pm
Warren Olson
Warren Olson is a Wellington-based enthusiast for and long-time follower of women’s football.
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