Two goals in injury time earned Western Springs a stunning come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Waterside Karori at Seddon Fields on November 19, but it wasn't enough to secure "The Hoops" another National Women's League Grand Final spot, as the teams around them on the table also won on the final day of play in the premiership phase of the campaign. Maia Vink's charges were swiftly into their stride, Ela Jerez's defence-splitting pass for Sofia Garcia only thwarted by Nikki Furukawa's timely tackle as the league's leading markswoman was poised to pull the trigger just two minutes into the contest. Six minutes later, however, the home team was rocked by a decidedly dubious penalty call by referee Sarah Jones, who deemed Charli Dunn's challenge on Kaley Ward just inside the area worthy of a spot-kick, one which Ward slammed home with venom aplenty past a motionless Mickey Mitchell. An arm wrestle ensued as the home team strove to get back into the contest, only to be repelled at every term by "The Magpies", for whom sweeper Saskia Vosper was in imperious form throughout proceedings - amazing what happens when you employ players in the position best suited to their skill set, something which her previous employers, Wellington Phoenix, failed to do. With their defensive rock on her game, Karori gradually got on top of the contest, and enjoyed a great spell during the final third of the half. Ward ignited it in the 27th minute, holding off the defence well before inviting Jenna Barry to let fly, a shot which prompted a fine save to her right by Mitchell. Ward's pressure ten minutes before the interval forced Mitchell into a hurried clearance from a back-pass, and from the resulting throw-in, Kennedy Bryant secured possession on the right and played in Nicola Ross, whose shot rattled the side-netting by the near post. Seven minutes before the interval, Mitchell was diving to her right again, this time keeping out another Barry effort. The resulting Renee Bacon corner was cleared to Grace McRobie, whose low drive through a crowded goalmouth was blocked and scrambled clear. Springs were hanging on at this point, and needed some inspiration. It came in the form of Tiana Hill, who burst through two challenges in the 43rd minute before taking on Mei Burden and slipping a pass to Jerez. She promptly skipped past an opponent before letting rip from the edge of the area, a dipping, curling beast of a shot which completely deceived Annie Foote, only to crash against the crossbar. Sammi Tawharu nipped in to ram home the rebound, but Springs' celebrations were curtailed by the sight of the offside flag - the striker was in an offside position when Jerez had struck her shot. Right on half-time, Tawharu slipped Lara Colpi - her final game for "The Hoops" before trialling with clubs in Europe - through Karori's offside trap. She cut inside but before she had the chance to shoot, Vosper executed a superbly timed tackle to secure possession for the visitors, who introduced the pacy Jade Morrissey to the fray at half-time in place of McRobie. "The Hoops" again began the half in the ascendancy, Jess Innes combining with Garcia and Colpi to create an opening for Jerez, whose 47th minute shot on the turn was directed straight at Foote. Three minutes later, Arisa Takeda and Garcia worked a slick one-two on the left which saw the overlapping fullback surge into the penalty area, only to have her progress snuffed out by Vosper, ably assisted by Furukawa. Colpi fired past the post soon after, to which "The Magpies" responded via Bacon, a fierce drive which sizzled over the bar after a poorly executed Springs goal-kick routine - why teams persist with trying to play out from the back when the technical prowess of the players employed in those positions isn't suited to doing so continues to perplex and bemuse.

Buoyed by that threat, Karori pressed again, and doubled their lead in the 56th minute. Bacon buccaneered down the left at pace, getting to the by-line before drilling a cross into the goalmouth which Morrissey gleefully rammed home from point-blank range. And so nearly 3-0 soon after, Furukawa volleying narrowly past the far post after running across the covering defender to meet Ward's corner. Had she scored, it was surely game over, but the let-off left the door open for Springs, and after Foote had cut out a cross from Hill intended for Colpi in the 65th minute, "The Hoops"' fightback began. A triple-change eighteen minutes from time was the catalyst for an on-field improvement in fortunes for the home team, who halved the deficit two minutes later. Takeda fired in a free-kick from deep which found Garcia stealing in behind the defence to stab the ball home from close range - her ninth goal of the campaign, enough to win this prolific markswoman the National Women's League's Golden Boot. The transformation in the on-field persona of both teams was remarkable. The Kate Sheppard Cup winners were understandably bolstered by their talisman having dragged them back into the game, but "The Magpies" suddenly took on all the characteristics of a punctured balloon - the self-belief which the Central Region Premier Women's League champions had radiated throughout proceedings seemed to evaporate in an instant. Within two minutes of the goal, "The Hoops" came desperately close to doubling their lead, aided by some frankly awful officiating. Garcia sent Colpi in pursuit of a pass which she eventually latched onto, but only after clipping the heels of Burden en route - a clear foul, yet nothing was given. Colpi, to her credit, played to the whistle, as did Foote, who produced a fine save to turn the midfielder's attempted lob to safety. It was only at this point that referee Jones, on the advice of the fourth official, brought play back for a free-kick to Karori … For someone who aspires to be a FIFA referee, having forfeited her referee's assistant's badge in order to pursue her new goal, Ms Jones has a fair bit of work to do before she's anywhere near the required standard, on this evidence. One of Springs' substitutes, former Football Fern Megan Lee, unleashed a sublimely weighted ball into the area in the 82nd minute, one which saw Garcia beat the approaching figure of Foote. She couldn't keep her snapshot beneath the height of the crossbar, however - a let-off for Karori. There was a let-off for Springs five minutes later when Ross had a goal disallowed by the referee's assistant, who deemed that substitute Emma Kruszona had pulled the ball back from beyond the dead ball line when picking out her team-mate. With running time all but up on the clock, Foote made a meal of dealing with a long-range effort from Takeda, needlessly conceding a corner. The price paid for her flamboyance was massive, as Colpi's corner was deemed to have crossed the line before an almighty goalmouth scramble ensued - 2-2 in stoppage time. Soon after, another Colpi corner saw another scramble come to pass, with Foote eventually grabbing the ball after some close calls. But Springs had one more ace to play, and deep in stoppage time, they executed it to perfection, Colpi's angled pass unleashing the pace of Jerez in behind the defence, from where the Young Fern deftly steered home the winner beyond Foote - 3-2 Springs, a result which never looked likely for much of this contest. Springs:     Mitchell; Hill (Mayo, 72), Jervis, Dunn (Jacob, 72), Takeda; Taitimu, Colpi, Innes (Morrison, 85); Jerez, Tawharu (Lee, 72), Garcia Karori:          Foote; Shilton, Vosper, Burden; Furukawa (Hedges-Fickling, 90), Bryant (booked, 45), McRobie (Morrissey, 46), Bacon; Ross (Kruszona, 86), Ward, Barry Referee:     Sarah Jones