WPL Final Round Heroics
Smiling: Our girls happy to secure their fourth victory in a row!
Written by Khalil Gerbeaux (Women's Premier League Coach)
Well, what a finish to the season!
Firstly a big congratulations to Coastal Spirit for winning the 2018 Women’s Premier League.
It has been great to see such a hotly contested league this season, and Coastal have been as strong as ever despite losing their ever-present coach Gunnie to the Canterbury United Pride setup this year. Well done to Jim and the Coastal squad, I still know several of the team from my time at Coastal as a player and the success they have achieved on the field over the past years has been well deserved.
With Coastal losing a number of players for the upcoming U20 World Cup and several others missing, we knew they were fully stretched for players, but we also know there are no easy games in the WPL and Coastal would be up for the challenge. They put up a great fight today despite not having any subs and missing their goalkeeper Una, and we had to fight until the final minute to pick up all 3 points with a 2-1 win. The win means we have now beaten every team in the league, and completed the final round of WPL with a 100% record.
Looking back from the start of the season, where we were surprised by a loss to Halswell, to get 4 wins in a row now we have come such a long way, and I am immensely proud of the performances we have put in these last few weeks. The depth in this squad has been unbelievable, and that has shown in how strongly we have finished the season when other teams have struggled with injuries and players away. This season we had 26 different players make appearances for our first team, and every single player has played a massive role in the wins we achieved – I am very proud of you all.
A lot of hard work has gone into this team and the club this season to get us to where we are now: Josh (Club Admin), Kesia (President), Frances (Gear Manager), Jesse (FDM) and the rest of the board have been incredibly helpful throughout the season.
The support from UC Sport has also been invaluable, and I would like to personally thank Matt Ingram, Tina George and all the interns who helped with our video analysis and helped us improve from game to game.
Jordan and Ian have been outstanding to have as supporting coaches, as has Melissa our team manager, and all of them have been absolutely vital for the team this year.
And finally the supporters. The support at home games as been incredible, and I truly believe is what got us over the line in our game yesterday and against Cashmere Tech a couple of weeks ago. A big thank you to all those who are part of our big Uni family.
Lastly a quick mention to Holly Pascoe who has been phenomenal all season since she got back from the U.S., and I am convinced with the performances she continually puts in she will go very far in the game. We are incredibly proud of everything she has already achieved, and we wish her all the best as she goes back to the U.S. again next week. Holly will captain the team for her final game with us Saturday. She will be sorely missed here at Uni!
Time to enjoy a fantastic finish to the WPL season, get some rest and then we go again Monday as we prepare for our challenge on the Reta Fitzpatrick Cup. Hopefully we can bring back some silverware for the club in 2 week’s time!
Khalil Gerbeaux
Well, what a finish to the season!
Firstly a big congratulations to Coastal Spirit for winning the 2018 Women’s Premier League.
It has been great to see such a hotly contested league this season, and Coastal have been as strong as ever despite losing their ever-present coach Gunnie to the Canterbury United Pride setup this year. Well done to Jim and the Coastal squad, I still know several of the team from my time at Coastal as a player and the success they have achieved on the field over the past years has been well deserved.
With Coastal losing a number of players for the upcoming U20 World Cup and several others missing, we knew they were fully stretched for players, but we also know there are no easy games in the WPL and Coastal would be up for the challenge. They put up a great fight today despite not having any subs and missing their goalkeeper Una, and we had to fight until the final minute to pick up all 3 points with a 2-1 win. The win means we have now beaten every team in the league, and completed the final round of WPL with a 100% record.
Looking back from the start of the season, where we were surprised by a loss to Halswell, to get 4 wins in a row now we have come such a long way, and I am immensely proud of the performances we have put in these last few weeks. The depth in this squad has been unbelievable, and that has shown in how strongly we have finished the season when other teams have struggled with injuries and players away. This season we had 26 different players make appearances for our first team, and every single player has played a massive role in the wins we achieved – I am very proud of you all.
A lot of hard work has gone into this team and the club this season to get us to where we are now: Josh (Club Admin), Kesia (President), Frances (Gear Manager), Jesse (FDM) and the rest of the board have been incredibly helpful throughout the season.
The support from UC Sport has also been invaluable, and I would like to personally thank Matt Ingram, Tina George and all the interns who helped with our video analysis and helped us improve from game to game.
Jordan and Ian have been outstanding to have as supporting coaches, as has Melissa our team manager, and all of them have been absolutely vital for the team this year.
And finally the supporters. The support at home games as been incredible, and I truly believe is what got us over the line in our game yesterday and against Cashmere Tech a couple of weeks ago. A big thank you to all those who are part of our big Uni family.
Lastly a quick mention to Holly Pascoe who has been phenomenal all season since she got back from the U.S., and I am convinced with the performances she continually puts in she will go very far in the game. We are incredibly proud of everything she has already achieved, and we wish her all the best as she goes back to the U.S. again next week. Holly will captain the team for her final game with us Saturday. She will be sorely missed here at Uni!
Time to enjoy a fantastic finish to the WPL season, get some rest and then we go again Monday as we prepare for our challenge on the Reta Fitzpatrick Cup. Hopefully we can bring back some silverware for the club in 2 week’s time!
Khalil Gerbeaux