A HARSH 4-0 DEFEAT ON THE GOLD COAST MARKS THE END OF OUR 2025 CAMPAIGN
We knew we had a battle on our hands, facing Premier’s Gold Coast Knights away on the Gold Coast for a place in the NPL Grand Final. We arrived with focus and assurance, and walked onto the field ready to fight for our place.
It was a measured start. We took the first kick and looked strong on the ball. An early chance saw Amy Gunston make a penetrating run down the centre, slipping Kiersten Yuhas into space on the right. Her first-time strike was saved.
As the hosts grew into the game, our Elli Chapple was forced to make a handful of straightforward saves, before diving at full stretch to palm a long-range effort away from the bottom right corner! A stunning free-kick save followed, before Kiersten managed to manufacture a shot down the other end, firing a powerful effort over the crossbar!
A dangerous cross from Knights, and a miscommunication inside the box allowed Bronte Rose to burst inside, firing a first-time effort under Elli Chapple to break the deadlock. We regrouped, attempted to fight back, and entered the break with a 1-0 deficit to overturn.
We restarted with a massive effort needed to overturn the result. It wasn’t too be, and our task became all the more difficult when Abby Evetts was shown a second yellow card and dismissed ten minutes into the second half.
The hosts quickly took advantage of their extra player, and Harriet Withers fired a lethal right-footed strike across Elli from a sharp angle to double their lead. With twelve minutes remaining to find two goals, an incredible ghost goal was awarded to the hosts, putting the game to bed. Elli Chapple, standing in front of her line, made a brilliant diving save to palm a Rie Kitano freekick away from the bottom left corner, and somehow the strike was deemed to have crossed the line and awarded. Astonishing, infuriating, and season-ending.
An unlucky own-goal in the final moments stamped the final nail into the coffin, and our Lions Women walked off the field with a 4-0 defeat to conclude their campaign. A frustrating and perhaps unlucky result. Certainly not a scoreline that reflects our effort, intensity, or quality. We’ll pick ourselves up and fight back stronger next season!
Well done to Nic Whiteside, Kelly Crew, and Rob Askew, before his departure, on a promising 2025 campaign filled with plenty of highs & lows, famous moments, brilliant goals, and great memories. Bring on 2026!
It was an incredible afternoon at Wakerley Park for our U23s Lions Women. Playing their Semi-Final on the road against a strong Souths United side (who they hadn’t yet beaten this year), our U23s Women launched straight into action. Captain Syeira Collard buried a beautiful long-range effort into the top left corner to open the scoring, before goals from Lizzie Drummond and Ellie Kirkby made it 3-0 inside thirty minutes. A stunning volley from Chloe Kerswell put the game to bed before half-time, and the girls went on to win 4-1, securing their place in the U23s NPLW Grand Final this weekend!
MATCH DETAILS
NPL Women: Semi-Final
Gold Coast Knights 4 – 0 Lions FC
Croatian Sports Centre
