The inaugural Steeline Limestone Coast Football Association Senior Women’s premiership is heading to the trophy cabinet at Casadio Park after International outscored Blue Lake United in the decider.
Fueled by the support of a large home crowd, the black and blue emerged victorious in a chaotic game won in a helter-skelter first half where six goals were scored.
Playing on the biggest stage of their lives both teams were hungry for the win with Inter desperate to score a maiden Senior Women’s flag on home turf, while Blue Lake/United hoped to end an era on top.
After the national anthem and welcome to country was completed alongside the MiniRoos mascots, battle started on pitch for the first ever LCFA Senior Women’s title.
Nerves were evident during the opening stages before the game exploded at the 14-minute mark.
Stephanie Gilbert completed her transition into the forward line by scoring her first key breakthrough in the dramatic passage of play.
It only took six minutes for the Rangers to regroup and create a golden chance to level the scoreboard.
Chelsea Frost read a throw-in perfectly and nailed her shot from the top of the box in what would become the last ever goal scored by a player wearing the United playing strip.
At the other end of the pitch Tess Andrews and April Hockey hounded the goals, but it was Gilbert who found the key again.
The black and blue’s second stint in the lead was another short-lived affair.
Lauren Frost had a free kick, but could not beat the keeper, while Chelsea was lining up a shot, but was ruled offside.
Despite the missed opportunities Blue Lake/United did not need to stress because its equaliser arrived from an unexpected source.
After a forward foray put the International defence under pressure, it cracked when an Andrews pass intended for goalkeeper Naomi Zwijnenburg trickled over the goal line.
The own goal brought the fast-moving scoreboard to 2-2, but the drama was not over yet.
Gilbert continued to steal the show and completed her hat-trick inside the first 38 minutes as Inter retook the lead.
The crazy opening half was wrapped up by Ella Doody, whose pace had threatened all day until the 42nd minute when she launched a crisp shot from the pocket and into the opposite corner of the net.
After a chaotic 45 minutes of action the players and fans took a well-deserved rest during half time and pondered what could happen next.
Once kickoff arrived it became clear International was not going to let anything get in the way of success.
The black and blue managed to win the possession battle in the second half and constantly press the Rangers’ defensive unit.
Much of the midfield dominance was driven by Andrews, who pushed at 110% to display a superior amount of work rate, skill, speed and composure.
Although Inter dictated terms during an unexpectedly quiet second half, Blue Lake/United still found a way to stay interested.
Lauren Frost almost scored a consolation goal, but Zwijnenburg at full stretch was too good, while substitute Princi Tandel stole the ball from Andrews and could not finish the job.
These small moments did little to slow down International as it strode to a history-making 4-2 win where Andrews was named best on ground.
After Blue Lake/United won the qualifying final at the same venue a fortnight ago, some may have suggested the black and blue were the underdogs.
But International swept all things off the table to win when it mattered and victorious coach Ricky McRobert was honoured to receive the trophy with his players.
“I am so proud of the team because this is the first time our senior girls have won a grand final and they worked so hard for so long,” he said.
“United gave us a big target to chase which helped us improve as a team and to come out with the victory against such a strong side means a lot.”
The match played between the two best teams was a fitting end to a new era of women’s soccer in the South East and a sign the competition will continue to grow.
