Eastern Suburbs progressed to their maiden Uncle Toby’s Women’s Knockout Cup Final on August 14, two goals from Melanie Gooch inspiring their 3-0 win over Wellington’s Seatoun at Madills Farm in a rather mundane semi-final which never rose to any great heights. Such was the intensity of the battle royal which was the other semi-final, the fixture which followed was bound to pale in comparison, and the final aspirants didn’t aid their cause by producing a performance which was very much in keeping with what comes “after the Lord Mayor’s Show”. Save for a cross-shot from Annie Olssen which Ginny Tan grabbed, the first fifteen minutes of this clash were very low-key, with both teams effectively feeling each other out while coming to terms with the fact that they were ninety minutes away from the biggest stage in New Zealand women’s club soccer. Suburbs were doing most of the attacking during this time, but Julia Baldwin was often well-placed to thwart their intentions. The first occasion the home team found a way around her, however, they went close to breaking the deadlock on the quarter hour. A swift interchange between Marlies Oostdam, Grace Vincent and Stacey Fraser presented Vicky Butterworth with a shooting chance from twenty-five yards. This flew wide, and from the resulting clearance, Seatoun responded with a neat move of their own, as Toni West, Zarnia Cogle and Liz Pearson linked well. The last-mentioned’s cross targeted Annalies Van Kampen, but Vicki Chong - immense in Suburbs’ defence - was on hand to clear the danger. The first signs that Gooch was going to be a handful for Seatoun to cope with were in evidence in the nineteenth minute, as she turned one opponent and darted between two more to get in the clear, only to send the ball sailing over the bar with just Karen Rigby to beat. Three minutes later, at the other end of the park, Tan saved from Bria Sargent and immediately prompted a counter-attack, which saw Oostdam charging out of defence at a great rate of knots. She played a superb through ball in behind Baldwin for Gooch to chase, and while the defender always had the advantage, Suburbs’ striker never let up. It was as well she didn’t, for Baldwin underhit her pass back to Rigby. Gooch swiftly pounced, and went to round the goalkeeper, only for Seatoun’s custodian to produce a fine save at the front-runner’s feet. Gooch was soon finding spaces where Seatoun didn’t want her to - they simply couldn’t handle her pace and directness. Both Oostdam and Stacey Fraser went close as a result of the striker’s promptings just after the half-hour mark, but when the clock struck the thirty-four minute mark, it was Gooch who broke the deadlock. The striker was picked out inside the penalty area by Oostdam, and she turned past one opponent and jinked outside another before curling home a beauty, around the diving figure of Rigby and in by the far post - 1-0 Suburbs, Gooch’s seventeenth goal of the season so far. Seatoun had no answers to the twelve-times-capped Auckland representative, and four minutes later, she was in again, this time latching onto a Janet Groves free-kick flicked into her path by Vincent. Gooch surged through, but again found Rigby too good for her in a one-on-one situation. Before the interval, Seatoun’s shot-stopper needed two bites of the cherry to deny a long-range drive from Butterworth, who had latched onto a Gooch pass after the striker had turned Baldwin this way and that. What plans Seatoun coach Lisa Gibson could hatch during the half-time to contain the threat Gooch posed would determine her team’s progress in the cup this

year, the Wellingtonians having also been ousted at the penultimate stage a year ago. A swift attack soon after the kick-off saw West fire wide after young strike force Carena Oosterbaan and Van Kampen had teamed up, but it wasn’t long before Suburbs were soon back on attack. Some neat control in midfield saw the playmaker thread a pass through to Flora McLeod, who promptly switched play to Fraser, racing down the right. Her shot crashed against the crossbar, with Baldwin first to react to the rebound. Soon after, McLeod powered through before letting fly, only for Rigby to tip her effort round the post, a raid which led to a rather flat spell in the match, with neither side showing much attacking initiative. Indeed, the lone incident in the next fifteen minutes saw Tan make a meal of Chong’s interception of a Van Kampen cross - Suburbs survived the scare. Seatoun started to come back into the match, and twenty minutes from time, should have equalised. Van Kampen found herself in the penalty area, and played the ball across to Olssen. A direct route to goal was non-existent, but to the midfielder’s left were Van Kampen and Oosterbaan, completely unmarked. The latter received the ball and let fly, but Tan produced a great save low to her left, and promptly started a counter-attack. It culminated in Suburbs’ second goal, with Gooch racing through onto Vincent’s flick to produce an accomplished finish under the diving figure of Rigby, nineteen minutes from time. That was the game as far as Seatoun were concerned, and but for Rigby, the score could have been greater. The goalkeeper yet again saved at Gooch’s feet in the 77th minute as she sought her hat-trick goal, then thwarted a twenty-yarder from Vincent. But Rigby was helpless nine minutes from time, as Tarena O’Neill sent Fraser away down the right, and the youngster produced an exquisite chip over the ‘keeper’s head into the far corner of the net to make absolutely certain of Suburbs’ maiden Cup Final appearance. Before the finish, Gooch was again denied by Rigby, and also fired narrowly wide, either side of Vincent seeing her goalbound effort cleared off the line by the retreating figure of Sara Vasey. But 3-0 was more than suffice for Suburbs, who were understandably delighted on realising they are just ninety minutes away from the biggest honour in the history of the women’s side of the club. Coach Sue Taylor was chuffed afterwards. “What can you say about Melanie Gooch? She was outstanding - unstoppable! The back four played so well, and that set everything else up. Everyone was working for each other right the way through - I’m really proud of them”. Seatoun’s coach, Lisa Gibson, was upbeat despite the scoreline. “I’m really pleased with my team’s effort - much better than last season!. It’s a brand new team this time round, with six youngsters sprinkled throughout, so this has been a fantastic experience for them. “Things might have been different if we’d taken a couple of opportunities when they presented themselves, but after a fairly even contest, finishing, fitness and experience were the difference between ourselves and Eastern Suburbs in the end”. Suburbs: Tan; Moore, Chong, Groves, Hui; Fraser, Butterworth (O’Neill, 54), Vincent (Gerrard, 85), Oostdam, F. McLeod (A. McLeod, 78); Gooch Seatoun: Rigby; Vasey, Baldwin, Sargent, Goble; Olssen, Cogle, West, Pearson (Ponsford, 81); Van Kampen, Oosterbaan Referee: Matthew Cooke