Western NSW Mariners FC got its NSW State League Women’s season off to a reasonable start, with a 2-all draw against APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC at Proctor Park on Sunday.
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The Mariners only had four players participating on the day who competed in the 2016 season, which finished in a 3-2 loss in the preliminary final against Southern Districts Raiders FC.
Last season’s assistant now coach, Jason Payne, said the Mariners started the game well.
“We had them on the back foot early. Some good early runs set up Jasmine [Courtenay] to slot one past the keeper,” he said.
“We had some opportunities in the first-half to get a few more but we took the 1-nil lead to half-time.
“In the second half, we were just a bit slow out of the box and some of their passes made us panic.”
The Tigers took the lead 2-1, before Mariners’ Abbey Barcham equalised to save a point for the home team.
New signing Lauren Stein was sent off after receiving two yellow cards.
The first was received for a foul on an oncoming player into the box, which Payne agreed was fair call.
The second yellow was more contentious.
“In her words, she was questioning one of the decisions for the foul,” Payne said.
“She said the referee wasn’t giving enough feedback. Stein was asking a question and was given a second yellow.”
Payne said he was happy with the result, considering his thoughts on what the season might look like.
“My first impression was this would be a rebuilding season,” he said.
“We’ve got about six to seven juniors coming up, so we have a fairly young base but the players are upbeat.
“It’s early days and there’s a long way to go. It would be nice to make the top four but I guess it is not out of our reach, as there is only seven teams.
“I’ve heard both St George FC and Parramatta FC have rebuilt their squads.”
Payne said he thought the pre-season was disappointing, with low numbers for the club’s combined training sessions for first and reserve grade.
“To start the season without the best pre-season and with the injuries we’ve had, it’s not too shabby.”
New signing Courtenay, who has previously played for the Newcastle Jets W-League team and Northbridge FC, was brought into the club, alongside Stein, who has previously played reserves for National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s team Sydney University SFC.
Mariners next game is against Southern Districts Raiders FC, with the game to be played at Proctor Park on April 9 at 3pm.
WESTERN NSW MARINERS 2 (Jasmine Courtenay, Abbey Barcham) drew with APIA LEICHHARDT TIGERS 2 (Christy Ferreyra, Aside Latham)
