WOODLANDS SOCCER STATE RUNNERS UP

The girls' soccer team did an outstanding job this year. They made it to the state finals after an intense penalty shootout in the regional finals against Kunyung Primary School.

The finals were held at Darebin Sports Complex where we faced schools from Ballarat, Echuca and Ivanhoe in our group. After drawing 0-0 in the first game against Ballarat, the girls jumped out to a 2-0 lead against Echuca and held on to win. Ivanhoe were our last opponents and we were 1-0 down for most of the game before Malita scored in the last minute to tie the game. Little did we know at the time, but that goal got us into the State Final!

In the final we faced St. Bede's Balwyn. They were tough competition, and St. Bede's scored the first goal. We knew that if we adjusted our game plan, we would have a stronger chance of winning.

When the halftime whistle blew, some of us switched players on the bench so that everyone had equal time off. Our coach, Hoppy, also shared some strategies we could use in the second half. When it was time to get back on the field, we played incredibly well. We had plenty of chances on goal, but so did they. Then, one of our players made a great pass through the middle, and another player took a clear shot on goal, scoring in the bottom left corner. The nerves were high, with only 5 minutes left in the game. It all came down to those final minutes.

Sadly, with just 2 minutes remaining, a St. Bede's player skillfully got around our defense and scored the winning goal. Congratulations to St. Bede's, and great job to the Woodlands state girls for finishing second out of all the schools in Victoria!

By Coco and Gemma