By Logan Smith
Both Christchurch teams head to the airport this weekend, and both are fancied to bring three points home in the Women’s South Island League.
Failing to do so could be detrimental and potentially fatal to their title hopes.
Cashmere Technical trail league leaders Dunedin City Royals by three points, while Coastal Spirit are four points away from the top.
Cashmere Technical make their way up to Nelson for the first time in nearly a year, with their last three match-ups all in Christchurch.
Back-to-back home defeats against Otago University and Roslyn-Wakari will have stung for Nelson Suburbs, but it doesn’t get any easier with Cashmere keen to stay in the title hunt.
At the Football Turf in Dunedin, Otago University welcome Coastal Spirit.
University have shown promise in recent weeks and will be hoping for an upset to open up the race for third place.
And in the south end of town, it’ll be local opponents Dunedin City Royals and Roslyn-Wakari squaring off.
With a good run of form and a strong home record at Tahuna Park, the Royals will be favourites to claim the spoils.
All three matches kick off at 12.30pm on Saturday.
Game of the week
Unfortunately, the gap in quality between the top three and bottom three has extended.
The top three have won all ten matches against the lower half sides so far, and only one game finished with a single-goal winning margin.
However, there could be hope with University hosting the Spirit this Saturday; University have easily the best defence in the bottom half, while Coastal Spirit have the worst record going forward of the top three teams.
Can the students get a result against the Spirit? It’s a big ask, and I think they’ll probably need to score.
Player to watch
Defender Samantha Woolley (20) has featured on and off for Otago Uni this season but has been an important part of their defence when she has. She took the captain’s armband last weekend against Cashmere Technical.
Against what is widely considered the best attack in the South Island, University went into half time level and succumbed 3-0 in the end; a much better performance away to Cashmere than Nelson Suburbs or Roslyn-Wakari, who both conceded double figures.
Should she play, Woolley promises to be a pivotal player for University against Coastal Spirit this weekend.
Bold prediction
Things are going swimmingly for the Dunedin City Royals at the moment, sitting top of the league, awaiting the Kate Sheppard Cup semifinals and still unbeaten in 2024.
Following big away games against the Christchurch sides and looking ahead to Western Springs in the Kate Sheppard Cup next week, it would be easy to lose focus for a more run-of-the-mill match against Roslyn-Wakari this Saturday.
The Royals aren’t the kind of team to take Roslyn for granted like that, but off the back of an impressive win in Nelson I’m picking the visitors could make a game of it.
My pick is a 2-1 to the Royals at Tahuna Park.
Golden Boot
5 — Anna McPhie (Cashmere Technical)
4 — Margi Dias (Cashmere Technical), Emma Kench (Cashmere Technical), Mel Cameron (Coastal Spirit), Rose Morton (Dunedin City Royals)
3 — Whitney Hepburn (Coastal Spirit), Bel Van Noorden (Coastal Spirit)
2 — Aimee Phillips (Cashmere Technical), Raegan Potter (Dunedin City Royals), Zara Pratley (Roslyn Wakari), Rosie Hayman (Cashmere Technical), Annalie Longo (Cashmere Technical), Lainey Altieri-Need (Cashmere Technical), Hannah Mackay-Wright (Dunedin City Royals), Holly Lyon (Coastal Spirit), Denva Perrott (Cashmere Technical), Giselle Rynvos (Nelson Suburbs), Lara Wall (Cashmere Technical), Jemma Wilson (Roslyn Wakari).
Fixtures
Games to be played on Saturday August 10, 2024
Otago University v Coastal Spirit
Dunedin Artificial Turf, Dunedin, 12.30pm
Dunedin City Royals v Roslyn Wakari
Tahuna Park, Dunedin, 12.30pm
Nelson Suburbs v Cashmere Technical
Saxton Fields, Nelson, 12.30pm
Logan Smith
Logan Smith is a passionate football fan and volunteer, based in Dunedin, covering the Southern League.
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