Dream ends

By Marc McGowan
THE dream is over.
The Casey Comets sat top of the Women’s Premier League table only four weeks ago, but now have seven months to lick their wounds after missing out on a finals’ spot.
Top side Box Hill sealed the Comets’ fate with a 3-1 dismissal in the final round at Comets Stadium on Sunday.
The Comets had championship aspirations after upending lowly Geelong 9-1 for their fifth straight success, but their 4-1 defeat to bogey side South Melbourne the following round was the catalyst for a poor run home.
Casey won just one of its four final contests – a 2-1 victory over Bendigo in a catch-up fixture – to tumble out of contention.
Sandringham’s 3-0 triumph over Preston on Sunday, on top of its 91st-minute game-winner over South Melbourne the previous Monday night, saw it leapfrog the Comets into fourth place.
Box Hill struck in the 16th minute on the weekend.
Belinda Pacella and Casey defender Vanessa Hellar were involved in a one-on-one contest and goalkeeper Emma Bracken came in for support, but Pacella somehow managed to flick the ball into the right corner of the net.
Box Hill, with a strong wind at its back, did most of the attacking in the opening half and Pacella should have added a second score, but missed a simple chance to the left.
That solitary goal separated the sides at half-time, but Morgan Anderson wasted little time doubling the visitors’ advantage on resumption.
Chiara Romano produced a brilliant through ball to release Anderson and the latter sidestepped Bracken before thumping her shot into the unguarded net.
It was always going to be tough for the Comets to recover from there considering they needed to win to make the finals.
But they never gave up and a stunning long-distance strike from Jeni Black in the 65th minute cleared Box Hill and Australian goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri for the hosts’ opener.
The crowd roared and striker Nicola Prins, who was already playing well, responded by taking her game to a new level.
Prins had several half chances, but was unable to manufacture the equaliser.
Box Hill’s Teadora Balint compounded Casey’s pain with a goal in the dying stages to confirm the result.
Comets coach Debbie Nichols praised her players, particularly Black, Melissa Atherton and Prins, for their performance.
“I always knew it was going to be a really hard ask on Sunday,” Nichols admitted.
“If we had played anywhere like that in the weeks before we wouldn’t have been requiring (the win to make the finals).
“They needed to win the game to finish top, so if we got another goal when we got them to 2-1, who knows what might have happened?”
Nichols remained positive about what her young team achieved this season.
“We’re all disappointed in how it ended up because it was a real opportunity for us to get in there,” she said.
“If they’ve learned something from it and can learn how to play pressure football and can develop from that it’s worth it, but if they don’t we’ve wasted our time.
“I hope they do (learn) because they’ve got wonderful talent … it’s just whether they can develop that real burning desire to want to play finals football and win championships.”