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Southern Volkswagen Junior Girls Match Reports

Under-15

South Adelaide vs Eagles
Game 3 - Alberton Oval - 10/09/19

Goals: Ellis 3, Hooper 2, Guilfoyle, Smith
Best: Hooper, Ellis, Couch, Nye, Smith, Volpato
Injuries: Nil

The South Adelaide U15 girls finish their undefeated year off in fashion; knocking off the Eagles by ten points in a hard-fought win at Alberton Oval on Tuesday night.

Despite a slow start which saw South Adelaide trail by two goals at the first break; the Panthers were able to bounce back and hold the Eagles to just one goal after quarter time to set up the 5.3 (33) to 7.1 (43) victory; their third victory in as many weeks.

"The thirty young ladies that were picked to make the under 15's squad are an amazing bunch of people. Each and every one of them developed as a football player and a person. They learned many things about South and the girls took everything on board and put it into their game" U15s Assistant Coach Emily Brockhurst said.

"The girls did so well winning all three games with a few challenges. Very proud of all of them" she said.

Happy Valley product Jorja Hooper finished off her year in style; booting two goals in a best on ground performance.

Likewise, Yankalilla product Jemma Ellis also put on an impressive display; booting three goals to be named second best.

However, the game didn't start according to plan; as the Eagles booted four first quarter goals to send the Panthers into the first break with a 2.0 (12) to 4.1 (25) deficit.

Coming out after the first break; Happy Valley's Jessica Couch and Willunga's Bridie Nye continued to get busy around the ground as the Panthers began to get back into the hunt.

Meanwhile, Christies Beach product Emily Smith was also influential; with her performance not only seeing her get on the goalkicking list but also be named fifth best. Willunga product Cleo Guilfoyle also joined the growing list of goal kickers.

The Panthers booted three second quarter goals while holding the Eagles to just one point to go into the main break with a handy 5.1 (31) to 4.2 (26) lead.

Sixth best Liliano Volapto continued her great performance throughout the second half as the Panthers held the Eagles to just one point in the third quarter to go into the final change with a 6.1 (37) to 4.3 (27) lead.

The Eagles attempted a come back in the last quarter; but the Panthers were able to remain calm and composed to come out with a strong 7.1 (43) to 5.3 (33) win.

Under-17

South Adelaide vs Eagles
Game 3 - Alberton Oval - 10/09/19

Goals: Nicolle 2, Kennedy, Charlton
Best: Rivalland, Kraft, Charlton, Johnson, Buethke, Schirmer
Injuries: Nil

Fifth straight Grand Final for the South Adelaide U17 Girls as they hold on to win by two points in a nail-biting contest against the Eagles at Alberton Oval on Tuesday night.

In what is best described as a battle of the backlines; the two sides only managed to kick two goals combined for the first three quarters of play.

However, the flood gates opened in the final quarter, but the Panthers managed to hold on to win with a slight 4.2 (26) to 3.6 (24) margin.

"So happy with the girls to be able to grind out a win the way they did. They withstood the pressure the Eagles put on them and defensively they were fantastic" U17s Head Coach Ryan Skouburg said after the game.

"Over the last 3 weeks, we have been improving both our structures and ball movement and we're really looking at combing the 2 for 4 quarters against the bays on Sunday" he said.

"So proud of this group and they definitely deserve to be playing in their 5th consecutive Grand Final" he said.

Also after the game; U17s Assistant Coach Tiffany Copley said "the girls were brilliant tonight. They fought so hard to win that game; you could see it in their eyes how badly they wanted to be in that Grand Final. There is such a great group of girls coming through the ranks and it's really exciting."

Unlike the previous two weeks; it was South Adelaide who kicked the first goal of the match thanks to Hayley Nicolle (Happy Valley FC); whose deadly accuracy gave the Panthers their first after nine minutes of play.

And with tremendous pressure around the contest; this would be the only goal of the quarter, sending the Panthers into the first break with a slight 1.1 (7) to 0.1 (1) lead.

Coming out after the first break; it was Chelsea Kennedy (Happy Valley FC) who struck first after just six minutes of play.

However, once again the two teams would refuse to give an inch and the ball would remain relatively close to the centre for the remainder of the quarter.

Senior premiership duo; Brooklyn Kraft (Salisbury FC) and Teah Charlton (Christies Beach FC) did their best to open the game up.

Meanwhile, Rayne Rivalland (Kennilworth FC) and Gypsy Schirmer (Christies Beach FC) were influential in disrupting countless Eagle attacks which made sure the Panthers held a narrow 0.4 (4) to 2.1 (13) at the main break.

With one half of football left to decide whether the Panthers were going to make the Grand Final; the pressure around the ball and the stoppages increased dramatically.

With both teams' midfields seemingly perfectly matched; the ball spent most of the quarter being thrown up at stoppages.

Fast paced pair; Emogen Johnson (Strathalybn FC) and Tahlita Buethke (McLaren FC) were busy getting into the thick of the action where they not only tried to set up plays for the Panthers but also disrupted the Eagles attempts.

But it was to no avail in the end; as both stills refused to budge, and the only score came through a point by the Eagles; putting the score to 0.5 (5) to 2.1 (13) at the final change.

Just over a minute into the quarter; Nicolle managed to kick her second of the game which would prove to be a vital goal at the end of the match.

Refusing to back down however, the Eagles struck back fast with their first goal of the game.

With both teams beginning to tire but no signs of the pressure around the ball dying down; Charlton stepped up and kicked a great goal on the run.

Once again though, the Eagles struck back almost instantly, and they would follow up again not long later to cut the Panthers lead to single digits.

With just twenty seconds left; the Eagles cleared the ball and booted it deep into their forward 50. However, the Panthers were able to remain steady and hold them long enough for the siren to sound.

Full credit to the Panthers for being able to show great composure despite the immense pressure put on them by quality opposition in the form of the Eagles.

"I thought they put up a great game to watch! Had me on the edge of my seat right until the siren, but they worked well as a team and got the job done, as well as looking like they had heaps of fun" Hannah Munyard said.

The Panthers now face Glenelg in the Grand Final at ACH Group Stadium at 2:30 pm on Sunday, September 15 as they look to win their fourth consecutive flag.

Power Division - Under 17 Ladder

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