Queens Park Association Football Club premiere womens team will add another cup to their trophy cabinet, after battling it out against Thistle Football Club for the Knockout Cup finals, at the weekend.

Coach Leeann Duston said it was anyone’s game at halftime with both teams sitting on nil. For most of the game Duston’s heart rate was high as she waited in anticipation, hopeful for her team to score. An opportunity presented itself for the team when a corner ball delivered by Tessa Hayes was headed in to the net by Ashlynn Scherp, to make it 1-0 and seal the win for Park.

‘‘The girls gave it their all and throughout the game my smart watch kept signalling for me to relax, and even when the final whistle blew, I think I was still numb."

The season has been a success for the women’s team as they claimed four trophies for the season, including the Knockout Cup, pre-season games, Kolk Cup and Ottley Trophy. They had won the Kolk Cup a third time, making the team unbeatable for another season. They had been unexpected wins as before the season began team numbers were low, Duston said. “We lost eight players from last season, so we had a lot of new young women stepping up to play and a couple of recruits who came into town added to the team.‘‘ The team were ecstatic for the wins after we had to rebuild the team at the start of this year.’’ She acknowledged the team for their efforts, her assistant coach Nicole Dawson and the support of the team’s fans and families. Next season, she hoped to build two teams and continue to grow stronger and maybe find funding to be able to attend the Dunedin league in a couple of years. She encouraged people who may be interested in football to come along and give it a go.

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Article added: Friday 02 September 2022