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Hamilton v Wellington 270322 | Cup Final pix
Hamilton v Wellington 270322
Wellington Edge Hamilton To Earn Maiden Cup Triumph
by Jeremy Ruane
Wellington United became the first team from the capital to have their name engraved on the NZ Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup after edging Hamilton Wanderers 1-0 in a hard-fought final at North Harbour Stadium on March 27, just over a year since the 2021 competition got under way.
Such has been the contribution of the coronavirus pandemic to the Cup campaign that matches have been deferred on numerous occasions due to Covid-19 outbreaks, with even the final unable to escape - this match was originally scheduled to take place at Waikato Stadium a fortnight ago, only for Wellington to endure an outbreak which sidelined a third of their squad.
The 2021 season can now be put to rest, however, after a match in which Hamilton certainly had their fair share of chances to claim the silverware, the first of which materialised inside the opening sixty seconds.
Chelsea Elliott's ball forward was deftly flicked on by Helen Arjomandi into the stride of captain Maddi Ollington, who found herself bearing down on goal with just Molly Simons to beat. But she hesitated at the prospect looming large before her, which allowed United's skipper, Hope Gilchrist, to close Ollington down and snuff out the threat.
Another materialised sixty seconds later when Rosie Wild uncharacteristically gifted possession to Arjomandi, who started the final one goal away from equalling Katie Rood's record for most goals scored by an individual in the history of the competition. Her 37th Cup goal wasn't forthcoming on this occasion, however, with Gilchrist blocking the former Football Ferns' twenty-five yarder.
"The Diamonds" engineered their first opening in the sixth minute, Gilchrist heading Dani Ohlsson's corner past the far post, to which "The Blue Army" responded via Michaela Foster's twenty yard free-kick, one which Simons grabbed well - the 'keeper was rock-solid throughout proceedings for the five-time Capital W-League champions.
This save allowed Simons to spark a tenth minute counter-attack, which culminated in Ohlsson presenting Emma Main to let fly from twenty yards as she joined the raid with a late but well-timed run. The former Junior Fern's strike flew past the post on this occasion.
After this early flurry, play settled down, but Hamilton were soon in the ascendancy. Arjomandi and Jordana Bremner combined to open the way for Ollington to rattle the side-netting in the sixteenth minute, while two minutes later, Tiana Hill, Ollington and Foster linked up to pave the way for Arjomandi to evade a challenge before shooting early.
Simons smothered this effort, then turned Ollington's twenty-five yarder round the post after Shannon Trebes had picked out the skipper with a cross-field pass. Foster's resulting corner wasn't cleared, allowing Elliott to unleash a volley which was deflected onto the crossbar and over. She headed Foster's subsequent set-piece narrowly over the bar, as "The Blue Army" gave Wellington's rearguard a thorough examination of their credentials.
Soon, however, it was the team which had travelled further who were in the ascendancy, largely through the promptings of Main, who was later named winner of the Maia Jackman Trophy as the Cup Final's Most Valuable Player.
In the 23rd minute she sent Ohlsson scooting down the right, from where she delivered a low cross for Pepi Olliver-Bell to exploit. Rylee Godbold smothered this effort, and was relieved to see Main's volley fly over the bar two minutes later after she had easily beaten Elliott before sending Ohlsson flying down the right behind Trebes once more.
Ohlsson's cross was headed out by Elliott into the stride of Main, who couldn't control her first-time volleyed effort, hence its waywardness, a feat matched by Ollington at the other end of the park two minutes later, as Hamilton responded with another brief flurry of attacks.
Foster sent Arjomandi marauding down the left, and after outpacing the defence she slipped a shot past the approaching figure of Simons, only for the retreating figure of Zoe Barrott to come to the rescue, although she came within the width of a post of scoring an own goal.
Such are the fine margins on which Cup Finals can be won and lost. Fortune was certainly favouring the Wellingtonians at this point, and it continued to do so seconds later as Foster's corner into the goalmouth was scrambled off the line and cleared to Ollington on the edge of the penalty area, from where she sent the ball soaring beyond where she had intended to direct it.
A torrid period of play followed with neither side gaining the upper hand, although United finished
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the half on the up via an Asha Strom corner which Gilchrist headed past the upright. 0-0 the score at the break, with Hamilton left to rue a few opportunities which, on another day, would likely have gone in. Would those misses come back to haunt them?
They hoped not, and began the second spell on the front foot. Bremner - a solid display - won the ball well before feeding Trebes, who pinged one over the defence for Arjomandi to latch onto. She held off two opponents before letting fly, only to see Simons turn her effort round the post - a super 53rd minute save.
Foster's resulting corner saw Arjomandi's shot blocked by Simons. Wellington scrambled the ball to safety, and, two minutes later, were celebrating the goal which broke the deadlock. Wild's driving runs out of defence were a feature of their play, and it was just such a manoeuvre which was the catalyst for a change to the scoreline in the 56th minute.
With the halfway line in her sights, Wild promptly released Ohlsson down the right, where, confronted by Trebes, she clipped a cross towards the near post. Rising in between defenders was Sarah Alder, whose deft glancing flick was sufficient to guide the ball beyond Godbold and just inside the far post - 1-0 Wellington.
Going behind on the scoreboard prompted Hamilton to redouble their efforts, and within three minutes they came desperately close to levelling the scores courtesy Foster, whose fulminating thirty yard missile had 'top far corner' written all over it until swerving narrowly past the upright.
Five minutes later, Trebes won the ball in midfield, executed a sharp turn and let rip from range. Simons was right behind both this effort and one from Arjomandi thirteen minutes from time, which came after Olliver-Bell had been released down the left before picking out Alder with a low cross. Her shot was deflected past the post.
Eleven minutes from time, Main, who was by now suffering from cramp, found the wherewithal within her to win the ball in midfield and surge forth before looking to work a one-two with Ohlsson. Main just failed to get on the end of her team-mate's cross, much to the relief of Godbold, who grabbed the ball greedily.
Time was fast becoming Hamilton's enemy, and they laid siege to Wellington's goal during the last fifteen minutes, eight of which were added by referee Lindsey Robinson in response to numerous stoppages throughout the half - eight minutes which have felt like an eternity to United's fans as they watched "The Diamonds" defending for dear life.
Foster worked a one-two with Lisa Evans in the 84th minute before linking with Bremner, who brought substitute Kim Maguire into play. The New Caledonian international turned one opponent, jinked past another, but couldn't direct her shot on target, a feat Arjomandi was unable to repeat two minutes later as Wild hooked the ball off her toes as the striker looked to capitalise upon the industry of Maguire and Ollington on the right.
Still "The Blue Army" pressed. Maguire's 90th minute cross was flicked on by Arjomandi for Elliott, now permanently stationed in attack. Her flicked header was grabbed at the death by Simon, who was well-positioned soon afterwards to deal with shots from Ollington - a drive through a crowded goalmouth following a partially cleared Foster corner - and the corner-taker, who started and finished a raid which also featured Elliott and Arjomandi.
In between times, "The Diamonds" went close to making the game safe via substitute Jemma Robertson, who bore down on goal on the counter-attack, only to shoot tamely at Godbold, who was surprised by the weakness of the shot from a player who clocked up her hundredth goal for Wellington in the 2021 season.
In the final minute of the scheduled seven of stoppage time, it was Main leading the charge for United, this time following an untimely stumble by an opponent on half-way. Downfield she steamed, her cramp a distant memory now, her sights set on clinching the cup with a last-minute goal.
Godbold denied her the glory on this occasion, tipping her shot round the post, but following the resulting corner, the sound of the final whistle prompted an explosion of joy from the Wellington players, Kate Sheppard Cup winners for the first time in the competition's rich history.
Hamilton: Godbold; Hill (Cox, 87), Elliott, Foster, Trebes; Ollington, Bremner, Byrne (Maguire, 72), Evans (Brazendale, 87); Arjomandi, Fullerton (Carpenter, 60)
Wellington: Simons; Grange, Wild, Gilchrist, Barrott (Catherwood, 61); Dijkstra (Lynch-Gerrard, 61), Main, Strom; Ohlsson (Robertson, 89), Alder (Basso, 73), Olliver-Bell
Referee: Lindsey Robinson
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