Blacktown City 6 Camden Tigers 1
An incredible scenario played out on the final day as the Football NSW Girls Youth League 2 Under 18s reached its crescendo on the first sunny weekend of August. With Camden Tigers putting up a fight and SD Raiders unable to break the deadlock in the other key game against Blacktown Spartans, Blacktown City had to win by seven clear goals to snag fourth spot in the ladder, should their nearest rivals fail to find the win. When Zoe Thompson gave City the lead to break her own personal drought, and Lily Waterhouse added a second midway through the first half, it was game on. A mysterious indirect free kick reduced the arrears as the Tigers rallied in the second period, but a fortuitous penalty allowed Thompson to convert to keep the momentum going. Lara Green scored a fabulous fourth, but after Brianna Tinney had scored the fifth, there were only eight minutes remaining. Time was running out when Courtney Kitching thumped home a superb header, and the final whistle stopped City in their tracks and ended the season just as it was reaching its pinnacle. What a game, and what a fabulous way to end the season, with the whole stadium willing on the City players to score those elusive goals, only just falling short of their target, with one-on-one finishing confirmed as their ultimate downfall.
A beautiful sunny day in the North West suburbs of Sydney greeted the two teams with vastly different goals. Kick off was delayed as we awaited the conclusion of the Under 16s season and the referees had their pre-Imperial March cup of tea, but by kick off, City had their game faces on. Charlotte Warner lined up in goal for Camden Tigers, her central defenders Alice Stephenson and Miley Shipp tasked with protecting their goalkeeper, but City were immediately on the attack. Sienna Bell and Angelica Conate teamed up with Waterhouse to fashion an early foray down the left hand side, a wayward clearance by Warner being helped on to Waterhouse who was foiled by Warner, diving at her feet to smother.
The Tigers made themselves known, winning two corners in quick succession, Tinney heading away well, and the high line from the visitors was making it difficult for the City midfield to link up with the attack. Another corner on the left for Camden was helped away by Emily Jackson, and City broke well. Green bided her time to play the ball through for Thompson, breaking the offside trap that had worked so well so far for the visitors, and she raced away, clean through, and took her time to finish low past Warner for 1-0. The hoodoo of last week had been lifted, and Thompson looked full of confidence.
The offside flag was a frequent sight, Bell racing on to Emilie Chandran’s exquisite ball on the left only to be held up by a late call. A thrown in by Tinney on the right secured a corner, Dominique Ashton across to take, and when she got a second bite at the cross, Kitching challenged, the ball falling invitingly for Jackson, who rasped a half-volley just over the bar to an excited roar from the main stand.
Green then prised open the Tigers defence with a superb ball inside the full-back, Thompson raced onto the ball, cut inside and played in Waterhouse, but the shot was well saved down low by Warner. City were playing with added zest, and when Kitching released Thompson with a superb long ball, she looked odds-on to make it two, but hit Warner with the shot and City couldn’t fashion an effort on goal from the rebound. There was no time to reflect on that miss, as Green prodded an incredible ball through to Waterhouse, who advanced, skipped around the on-rushing Warner and tucked the ball nonchalently into the net for 2-0. City in the driving seat, and they were looking tidy.
A scuffed backpass by Kitching saw goalkeeper Courtney Mackenzie race out of goal to deal wit the danger, then Tinney released Green on the burst on the right, but a very late flag stopped her in full stride and City were denied again.
When Thompson was upended in a flying challenge on halfway, Kitching lifted in the free kick, Rachel Fry hassled her defender on the right, but the ball wouldn’t break in her favour. When Conate prodded the ball through to Fry and was brought down, the referee tried to play on, but brought play back for the free kick. The short free kick to Jackson set the midfield maestro off on a trademark run, but she couldn’t find a way through the crowded midfield.
Jackson then played a devastating through ball for Waterhouse to gallop on to; she took her time, advanced on goal, but couldn’t find a way past Warner, another glorious chance not taken. Mikayla Gadd raced up the right but ran out of room, and Bell tried to eke out a corner from her defender but the referee had already seen a foul. All of a sudden, a loose ball went spinning towards the City byline. Annabelle White was the only one reacting and got to the ball, but her cross was cut out by the retreating defence and City survived.
City were back up the other end with Sarah De Sousa, holding the ball up brilliantly on the right to deliver a cross. Conate raced onto the ball and was unceremoniously scythed to the ground, a free-kick awarded just outside the penalty area. Kitching stepped up and got the ball up and over the wall, but there was little pace on the shot and Warner claimed the ball comfortably.
City were constantly aware that any mistake could cost them dearly. Ashton gave a cheap ball away, before Kitching and Chandran got in each others’ way to concede a free kick for handball, not far outside the City area. Stephenson’s set piece didn’t trouble the City defence. City persevered, Waterhouse racing up the left to cross, but thert were no takers, and Fry collected a ball on the right to fire in a shot that was held at the near post by Warner.
De Sousa chased down a ball to try and win a corner and was bundled over, the referee checking with his assistant to see if there was anything more than a goal kick, and then Jackson played a clever ball inside for Gadd on the gallop, but Warner was out quickly to save. Tigers did manage to get into a good situation as time ticked away in the first half, Suprina Upadhyaya screwing a shot that didn’t go out of play, and the whistle sounded to end an entertaining yet frustrating half for Blacktown, with the two goals scant reward for their endeavour. Waterhouse and Thompson with the goals, but they also had two glaring misses to their names too; there was work to be done at half time.
Upadhyaya kept the ball for thirty seconds from the kick-off, the City players trying to dispossess the tricky forward, until Conate was fouled. Kitching lofted a high free kick forward, Fry flicked on to the galloping Gadd, and she fired in a superb first-time shot that Warner palmed away with a reaction save. De Sousa then played in her strike partner Evdokia Papafilopoulos, who closed in on goal, but her fierce effort was pawed over by Warner, another glorious chance passed up. Ashton’s corner caused chaos in the Tigers’ six yard box, Warner able to pounce on the ball before Bell could turn the ball in.
The referee was beginning to play a part in the game, awarding free kicks from fifty metres away, and Stephenson received a yellow card and a lecture from the official, before captain Matea Saba was warned that the next card would be red if Stephenson didn’t calm her demeanour. A superb move on the left involving De Sousa, Chandran and Bell saw the ball played back for Jackson to fire in a shot that whistled just over the bar. Jackson then followed it up with a shot from a similar position, but this time didn’t catch it right and the ball flashed wide of the post.
Fry helped a ball on to Papfilopoulos and the flag went up immediately, but it must have been close. Jackson then played a ball over the top for Papafilopoulos, who held off her defender to win a corner. Ashton was quickly across to take the corner as De Sousa continued to menace the defenders, and Jackson was close to catching the volley sweetly but Camden held firm.
A mysterious free kick was awarded when Green was adjudged to have pushed her player as Camden gained ground, and the wall was set up for a shot from Shipp that went straight into Mackenzie’s arms. Somehow that led to an indirect free kick, the referee standing where the wall had been, and the whole stadium was mystified by what they were watching. When Skyla Murphy rolled the ball sideways for Shipp, she fired the ball on goal and Mackenzie couldn’t keep out the powerful shot, the ball ending up inside the side-netting and Camden were back in the game at 2-1.
City were rattled. Mackenzie sliced a clearance into the air as Camden looked to seize the initiative. However, moments later, Chandran found herself in a tussle as she approached the Camden penalty area. The defender had a handful of her shirt, and the City defender showed the referee, who took one look at her position and pointed to the spot, City given an instant opportunity from 12 yards to restore the two-goal margin. Thompson made no mistake from the spot and City raced back to the halfway line to go again.
Chandran again got into a good position on the left, firing in a cross that was dealt with by Warner, but Camden still had their hand in the game, and won a free kick wide on the left. Shipp fired her shot harmlessly wide of goal this time, and City were immediately on the counter attack, Thompson caught coming back from an offside position to receive the ball. Green was forced to concede a corner as Camden raided up the left again, Shipp’s corner cleared comfortably. City were becoming desperate. Thompson raced over to the left to keep the ball in but found no one up in attack when she looked for an outlet.
A strange, excited atmosphere enveloped Landen Stadium; it was intoxicating. A quick throw by Gadd set Green away on the right, and she went straight for the jugular, smashing in a fabulous shot past Warner for 4-1, and the City players dared to dream. Chandran was then taken out by Diana Maracic and City broke, Jackson teeing up Thompson for a free run on goal, but she tried to dummy Warner instead of side-footing past her into the net, and hit the ball straight at the grateful goalkeeper.
Waterhouse was then played clean through for a one-on-one with Warner, and again the shot was straight at the visiting goalkeeper; it’s not as though the goalkeeper had a fluorescent shirt on either to attract the ball to her, but time and time again she found the shots coming straight at her.
A superb move by Green teed up Thompson, but Eva Russell was there to clear, the game was competely frantic and City could feel the goals coming. When Mackenzie was caught late when clearing a ball, time started to tick more quickly for the home team, but when Green played a first time ball across goal, Ava Carney sliced the ball just past her own post for a corner. Ashton’s corner was dangerous, but Tinney’s header was wide of the goal. To their credit, City refused to be sucked into playing long to try and find the opening and continued to play tidy football. A glorious through-ball from Jackson saw Bell win another corner, which Warner palmed away for another. This time the ball was played right into the six-yard box and the ricochet fell perfectly for Tinney on the half-volley to sweep the ball into the net for 5-1. With nine minutes on the clock, three goals were needed. Doable, but it would have to be swift.
Jackson was tripped on the edge of the area when weaving into position for a shot. Ashton’s shot was on target, but easy for Warner. A high ball from Mackenzie was then helped on to Bell, who battled to break free and into the area for the simplest of chances, but again she powered the shot straight at Warner and the goalkeeper did well to smother the rebound. City then fashioned another great chance, thanks to the persistence of Chandran, who just kept the ball in on the left, played the perfect ball in for Jackson on the break but, unbelievably, her shot was the right height for Warner and she beat the ball away, another one-on-one chance spurned.
A snapshot from Tinney won another corner on the right. Ashton’s corner was brilliantly headed goalwards by Kitching, a fabulous goal that merited much celebration, the referee warning the City players not to go searching for the ball in the back of the net, avoiding any unpleasant confrontations. Three minutes remained as Jackson danced to the byline on the right and cut the ball back, but Waterhouse’s effort looped high in the air. By now, with the final score confirming that SD Raiders had indeed left the door open for a City smash-and-grab, the crowd was urging City forward. Thompson raced into the box on the left and smashed in a cross that flashed across the face of goal, Jackson unable to keep the ball in on the far side. The final whistle sounded. The air was sucked right out of the stadium. City players sunk to their knees. This was the final whistle not only on today’s game, but on the whole season, and this talented team was denied the opportunity to take their gutsy football into a finals series involving three teams that they have taken points from this season.
The initial disappointment at missing out on finals football on a goal difference of one goal was put into perspective as the players gathered for their final post-game chat. The players knew they had done well today, but they also knew that throwing away silly points earlier in the season and a lack of a killer instinct in front of goal had been their achilles heel all year. This team will be remembered as a top-quality Under 18s side who were so near yet so far in an eventful season that could and perhaps should have ended in September.
The 2025 Football NSW Girls Youth League 2 Under 18s season is over. SD Raiders claim the final spot in the finals, while Central Coast Mariners are crowned Premiers after a draw against South Coast Flame on Saturday rendered the St George v Hills United blockbuster meaningless. Those four teams make up the semi-finals next week, but for our girls at Blacktown City, this will be remembered as the one that just got away. Half of the squad will be moving on to senior football, but remaining will be a core of talented players looking to take the Under 18s by storm in 2026. Get excited; pre-season is only just around the corner!
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