Ladies #Championship complete perfect season! #AAW1 3 – 0 UNSW Sponsored by Cambridge Hotel Sydney #SchillersSpiel
Google tells me perfect seasons are pretty rare things. A few NFL teams have done it (pfft. Not a real sport. There’s more chest beating than there is action). Several NRL teams (who cares?). And Arsenal in 2003-04 (well, yeah, OK. They were pretty good).
But now we can add the Dunbar AAW1s to that illustrious list, after a 3-0 win over UNSW on Tuesday night meant we notched up 15 consecutive league wins in 2016.
It was hardly the spectacular setting we’d hoped to be in when we reached the milestone: there was more dust on the field than blades of grass, and more ankle-spraining lumps and holes than you could poke a stick at (though a rake would have been more useful than the stick).
The first half – much like the field – was a bit bumpy. The field didn’t lend itself to smooth passing play and we struggled to adapt in the first 45min. But rapid running from Dani and some slick and determined play through the middle from Bina and Charlotte saw Dani notch the first goal and take Dunbar into the break with a 1-0 lead.
With finals footballs already locked in Coach Gordo and Captain Sarah Ferris were keen to impress upon us that this was far from a dead rubber – UNSW will likely be our opponents again at some point in the finals series.
But the second half was dream football. Even Gordo was captivated, describing it as “our best football of the season”. One team goal was glorious – starting with Aleshea at the back, it had a touch from almost everyone in the team, triangle plays, quick one-twos, and then hit the back of the net with a satisfying swish.
Bina’s supple touch (she’ll find a way to make that seem like a dirty reference…) spun her into space and she hit a belter past the keeper to increase our lead. She was unlucky not to grab a brace with a belting drive towards the end of the match.
ALSO ON THE HIGHTLIGHTS REEL: Niz playing through a black eye to shine up front and play an incredible back pass, Sophie peeling back layers of skin on her upper leg, Fran badgering the referee from the sidelines, Amy pestering the opposition’s right wing, Zoe tearing along the sidelines, Mindy weaving and ducking, Charlotte heading. And heading. And then heading some more. The ref’s ongoing dad jokes. Sarah’s belting volleys, Poppy’s fight in the middle.
IN SUMMARY: So far so good. A Major Semi-Final next against Coogee United. We’ll look to raise the tempo, lift the level, give 110%, hold nothing back… and speak only in sports clichés.