By JARROD POTTER
MONDAY night heartbreak beset the Casey Comets women’s team – beaten by Sandringham SC 0-2.
The first half under picturesque conditions at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex went back-and-forth as neither side gained ascendency but to the disbelief of Comets’ coach Ian Williamson, his charges kept handing the ball back after hard earned gains.
Sloppy passing, errant crosses and generally a lack of ball retention gave Sandringham ease of passage out of defence.
Emma Runnalls struck first – gaining Sandringham’s go-ahead goal with a timid shot bouncing awkwardly through Comets’ keeper Kelly Soles in the 54th minute.
Casey’s attacking didn’t pay dividends as Alex Gummer, Brittany Dudley-Smith and Nicole Tiggs all had chances go begging.
Former Comet Nicola Prins broke her old team’s heart – subbed on in the 71st minute and making it count straight away – slotting the match sealer past Soles from a Runnalls’ through-ball.
“Couple of silly errors and two goals and we didn’t create enough opportunity,” Comets coach Ian Williamson said.
“We can’t keep the ball enough – as hard as we work to get possession we just give it back.
“It’s a concentration error … the effort is there … the effort is fantastic but the girls are pretty disappointed
“They felt the anguish of losing the game and it wasn’t that we played poorly – we played as well as they did and they had the chances and we didn’t take ours.”
Williamson highlighted the efforts of his centre-backs Rachel Binning and Harriet Cordner.
Down on their luck and now desperate for other results to fall their way with two weeks remaining in the Women’s Premier League season – Casey is three-points behind Heidelberg United in fifth place and needs to win their remaining matches, starting with Ashburton next Friday night at home before their final home-and-away match against Preston – and needing either Cairnlea or Bulleen Lions to knock off Heidelberg.
“It’s down to a scenario they need to lose one of their two games and we need to win both of ours,” Williamson said.
“Bulleen need to do us a favour – it’s not done and dusted but we’ll need a few things to go our way.
“The most frustrating thing is we’ve finished fifth or sixth the last three years and we can’t get that step further.”
Kick off next Friday night at Comets Stadium is 8.30pm.
It was a more brutal affair for Berwick City in State League One – knocked down in a 1-4 thrashing from
Boroondara Eagles. Kayla Hicks scored the only major for Berwick City, which now faces Western Eagles at Albion on Sunday.
