Three Kings United's Tessa Berger brought her Lotto Northern Premier Women's League career to a close in style at Keith Hay Park on July 28, scoring four goals - including a hat-trick in the last five minutes - as she led her team to a 7-2 triumph over a flu-hit Fencibles United side. The visitors were also bidding adieu to one of their stalwarts, with Lucy Carter also playing her final game for her only club before, like Berger, heading to a Florida-based university to take up a scholarship this week. Fittingly, the pair captained their respective teams on their final appearances, but for the next couple of hours, their paths took wildly different routes, even though they were on the same pitch. Three Kings revealed their intentions straight from the kick-off, Abby Erceg - her long-range passing was a feature of the match - releasing Berger through the middle, the defender-turned-striker for the day seeing her fifteenth second shot being deflected for a corner. Claudia Crasborn delivered same, with Erceg meeting the ball with a cushioned volley which fizzed narrowly past Alex Vernon's left-hand post - this was still inside the first minute of the match! Fencibles were still coming to terms with matters when Berger played in Crasborn down the right in the sixth minute, leaving her with just Vernon to beat. The former Junior Fern could have easily have made in-roads towards the target, but lazily went for a glory goal - a curling chip towards the top far corner. The ball drifted past the post, but Crasborn soon made amends, opening the scoring in the tenth minute with a cool finish under pressure upon being released through Fencibles' rearguard by Jessie Mathews' ball over the top. Two minutes later, Three Kings doubled their lead. Crasborn put Rachel Cooper under a pile of pressure which forced the fullback to play the ball inside - straight to the lurking figure of Mathews. The midfielder wasted little time in battering the ball into the roof of the net from the edge of the penalty area - 2-0. After Alison Wintle had blocked goal-bound efforts from both Tina Kolose and Berger following a Crasborn corner, Hannah Wall ignited Fencibles' first attack of the match with a sweeping pass which picked out Steph Trowill on half-way, near the left wing. The former Three Kings striker promptly stormed downfield, evading three challenges before letting fly with an effort which Rebecca Rolls grabbed gratefully in the 21st minute. The home team continued to press, with Vernon relieved to see Mathews' lob - from Kristen Molloy's pass - go narrowly past her left-hand post on the half-hour, seconds after which Crasborn grazed the roof of the net with a dipping effort which arose following the contributions of Mathews and Berger. Wall, playing despite a chest infection which occasionally left her doubled over coughing her lungs out during the game, was warming to the task, and in tandem with Carter and Sarah Blyde contrived a cracking chance for Fencibles to halve the deficit eleven minutes before half-time. The last-mentioned raced down the right before whipping in a low cross which found Trowill arriving right on cue near the far post, but her first-time volleyed effort flew wildly over the bar - a glorious chance spurned, and how she knew it! Two minutes later, Wall took on half the Three Kings team in midfield before releasing the overlapping figure of Wintle down the left - she had switched from a central defensive role after Cloe Posimani had succumbed to illness half-way through the first half. Wintle promptly delivered a cross towards Trowill which the young striker cleverly dummied, aware that Sarah Fuller was darting in behind her. Unfortunately for the midfielder, Molloy was alert to the danger, and stepped in to snuff out the threat. Five minutes before half-time, Crasborn squandered a glorious opportunity to increase Three Kings' advantage still further. Erceg, Mathews and Berger combined to play in the speedster with just Vernon to beat, something Crasborn did well. In doing so, however, she steered her shot just past Vernon's left-hand post, a sight which prompted Crasborn to cover her eyes with her hands in both disbelief and despair - one of those "Please, ground, open up and swallow me" moments! Fencibles began the second half brightly, Dani Vulinovich leading the way with a 54th minute ball in behind Molloy for Blyde to exploit. Rolls grabbed her rasping drive at the second attempt, then looked on with relief as Wall grazed the post with a curling twenty-five yarder after working an opening with Carter. Three Kings' response was instant - two one-on-one opportunities, both of which were spurned. Kolose, Crasborn, Mathews and Alice Hansen combined to play in Berger on the first occasion, but Vernon anticipated the situation well to save at her feet.

Tessa Berger Lucy Carter Abby Erceg Hannah Wall Claudia Crasborn Dani Vulinovich

Then it was Crasborn's turn once more, Hansen's penetrating pass presenting the speedster with a great chance to increase her team's lead. Again Vernon stood firm, however, this time denying Crasborn with her legs. In the 58th minute, Three Kings finally scored the third goal which should have materialised far sooner. Berger chased down a lost cause in the form of Hansen's stray pass, and was rewarded for her persistence by a supporting run from Hannah Robert. She whipped in a cross which picked out Mathews, who controlled the ball neatly before steering a deflected effort beyond the flailing fingertips of Vernon, who had an impressive game twixt the sticks, despite what the final scoreline would suggest. Fencibles' response was the continued pursuit of their first goal. A Carter corner was cleared by Erceg's towering header to Rachel Cooper, who unleashed a twenty-five yarder which narrowly cleared Rolls' left-hand post on the hour. Two minutes later, there were chances at both ends. Wall's through ball was cut out by Shivi Anthony, only for the defender to give it straight to Trowill. She scampered clear, only to be thwarted by Rolls' sound save at her feet. Molloy cleared the loose ball, and sparked a Three Kings counter-attack which saw Crasborn in on goal once more with just Vernon to beat. Yet again, the 'keeper prevailed, much to the frustration of the former age-grade international. After Erceg had unleashed a thirty yarder which Vernon grabbed greedily, Kolose picked out Berger with a delightfully weighted 66th minute pass which left her one-on-one with Vernon. A chorus of "Are you watching, Claudia?" seemed appropriate as Berger showed her team-mate what to do, giving the 'keeper no chance in the process. Further efforts from Crasborn and Berger followed, neither of which bore fruit. In between times, Fencibles were determined to find the net, and their willingness to do so in spite of the adverse scoreline deserved some sort of reward on the scoreboard. Fifteen minutes from time, Alex Eastwood picked out Wall on the left, with the sometime Football Fern doing Hayr a treat before lashing a shot over the bar. Two minutes later, Wintle linked with the lively number nine, who weaved through the challenges of Hayr and Kolose before curling one inches over the bar from the edge of the area. Fencibles finally gained due reward for their dogged persistence in the 81st minute. Wall led the charge before feeding Wintle on the left. She brought Carter into play, and her pass inside allowed Wall to split the defence with a through ball which Trowill instantly latched onto and calmly slotted beyond Rolls. 4-1 became 4-2 just sixty seconds later. Carter was the architect this time, one of her trademark through balls allowing Trowill to dash through on goal. Rolls blocked her first effort, but Blyde was following in to gather the rebound and set up Trowill for a tap-in. Hello? Could a comeback be on the cards? "Not if I can help it", said Berger, who, in the remaining minutes, single-handedly took the game away from Fencibles via a flurry of chances, three of which were converted. Five minutes from time, Erceg's ball forward was allowed to bounce by Eastwood, a mistake which Berger punished mercilessly, surging through before rounding Vernon and producing an accomplished finish. Sixty seconds later, and with Wall stricken once more by the effects of her illness, Erceg motored down the right before, upon reaching the by-line, pulling the ball back for Berger to complete her hat-trick, hooking home stylishly on the volley beyond Vernon - 6-2. And still time for more. In the 89th minute, Kolose found Berger ghosting in on the blindside of Fencibles' defence. But while she steered the ball past the post with just Vernon to beat on this occasion, there was no such inaccuracy in stoppage time. Erceg's diagonal lofted ball from half-way pierced the visitors' penalty area, and found Berger soaring over Vulinovich to meet it. A trademark bullet header duly powered past Vernon to wrap up a 7-2 win for the home team, the perfect way for Berger to bid farewell to a competition she has graced since 2006, when, as an eleven-year-old, she first appeared for Hibiscus Coast. It wasn't the way Carter wanted to bow out, of course. She will be a significant loss to Fencibles, for whom she has been a fixture in their midfield since the club first entered the Premier Women's League in 2009. Best wishes to both Tessa and Lucy at their respective Florida universities. Three Kings:     Rolls; Anthony, Hayr, Erceg, Molloy; Mathews, Kolose, Hansen; Crasborn, Berger, Robert Fencibles:     Vernon; Vulinovich, Eastwood, Wintle, Cooper; Wall (Bilk, 86), Fuller (Rowse, 71), Carter; Blyde, Trowill, Posimani (Pohe, 23) Referee:     James Ashford