In a rain drenched, final round game, Wellington United put six in the back of the net against Western Suburbs to claim their second W-League title in as many years.

Heading into the final round of the season, Wellington United sat tied on 31 points with Wairarapa United, a superior goal difference giving them the edge. The comprehensive win meant Wairarapa United’s 3-2 win over Waterside Karori wasn’t enough to turn the tables.  

Wellington United Captain, Sarah Alder, was completely blown away with the efforts of her team throughout the season and ecstatic with the overall title.

“I’m just proud of the girls over the whole season, proud of the effort that everyone has put in, I think proud is the biggest word.”

“We didn’t have some of the best games early on, we weren’t playing how we wanted to, and our attitudes weren’t really there. But from the second half, once we talked about it, we figured it out, and we got it right again. So, I think it comes down to all the girls, everyone who filled in for us, all the younger girls stepping up. I think it’s not just the team, but the whole club and everyone involved.”

Wellington United got off to a bumpy start in the W-League, sitting mid table until a turning point in their season saw them jump into contention for the title. Alder, putting it down to a group effort and a shift in approach.

“This season compared to last season has been a lot tougher. For a little bit we were a bit out of it, I think we were third for a while, but we just made our way back up to the top somehow and pulled it off.”

“I think a lot of it has to do with just the bunch of girls we have and our attitude towards each game. We kind of just started thinking about each game separately, basically one at a time, a few results went our way from different games and then from there we could kind of see how we could keep in it.”

Alder, who’s been involved with Wellington United for over 7 years, again put a lot of the success down to the people involved with the club, including long serving coach Guillermo Schiltenwolf.

“Guillermo has been a massive part of it, I know for me personally he’s been there the whole time I’ve been playing for United. He’s so involved in the club, including bringing the girls up through the u14’s, the 16’s, showing there is a pathway for those girls to come into the first team. He’s worked so hard for us with all the training sessions he does, getting us into the gym, he really does a lot.”

“Since I started like seven years ago, we have come a very long way from losing ten nil, so it’s kind of crazy to think back to back. It’s a cool feeling, to have three titles in four years, that’s really amazing, a true testament to all involved.”

The successful year for the team was also marked with incredible individual success. Standout forward for the Diamonds, Michaela Robertson, reached 100 games and 100 goals for Wellington United throughout the season.

“I was aiming for my 100^th goal in my 100^th game, meaning I would have needed a hattrick, I didn’t quite get it, but 103 goals, in 103 games, I’m pretty stoked.”

Robertson, who had been in Auckland for the first part of the year and has been a participant of the Football Ferns Development Programme, also noted the defined culture at Wellington United helped take them to their second title in a row.

“It’s such a good atmosphere, and I think because a lot of the players have been playing together for so long, it’s a definite family. Everyone supports each other and is there for each other and lifts each other up, it’s a really cool environment.”

“This year we worked hard for it, I guess when we last played Wairarapa that was the decider game, and we knew that once we had beaten them, we could take the league, and we did that. We just set goals and kept working hard and it paid off.”

Wellington United finished the season on 34 points, equal with Wairarapa United, but with 50 goals for and just 13 against, they comfortably sit at the top of the table. Palmerston North sit in third, but could be overtaken by Waterside Karori, who are fourth and have one catch up game remaining, Seatoun A.F.C sit comfortably in sixth with Western Suburbs, Petone F.C. and Victoria University finishing off the table respectably.

Article added: Monday 19 August 2019