After a surprise draw to last years wooden-spooners Powerhouse/St.Kilda the previous round, Altona’s Premier League girls used a 9-day break to reset for what would be a tough match against a young and skilful Doncaster outfit.
The A girls started strongly being lead in the midfield by captain Danni Schubach and U21 Victorian representative Bronte Kerley. A turnover in the Doncaster forward line proved costly for the away team and after some brilliant work across the field, the ball eventually found Missy Johnson in the circle who deflected a Schubach pass into the net.
Doncaster responded immediately through Sam Snow who tossed an overhead to Hayley Padget in the opposition forward half for a goal levelling the scores 1-1. However, our A girls did not crack under pressure and after some great work from the strikers up front, a penalty corner was converted by Tash Sutton giving the home side a 2-1 lead at the break.
A complete downpour of rain at the start of the second half did not deter the girls who fought hard for the next 35 minutes to deny the persistent Doncaster side. Some great tackles from the midfield and defence, including an after the whistle penalty corner save from Taylah Brennan, ensured a hard fought victory for the girls in blue and gold.
Altona take on Footscray in the second western derby for 2014 on Saturday the 21st of June at Footscray.
Altona 2 defeated Doncaster 1
Goals: Missy Johnson, Tash Sutton