Drizzling rain could not dampen the enthusiasm of players and spectators at Blue Lake Sports Park last weekend when the 2009 South East Women's Football Association (SEWFA) Preliminary Finals were played.

In the Seniors, City played Wanderers in a hard fought match, while in the Under 14s, Villa took their position in the Grand Final by beating City.

Seniors - City v Wanderers

City claimed an early lead from a penalty kick and continued their pressure on the Wanderers' goalmouth. Lauren Birch moved up the pitch into an attacking position and combined well with midfield and forwards to create goal scoring opportunities, however the City scoreline did not increase due to fine defending and wayward shots.

A switch in play found a Wanderers' striker unmarked and she made no mistake in front of goal equalising the score and rejuvenating her team. Momentum swung in favour of Wanderers and it was only heroic goal keeping from Lauren Lowe which kept the score as a draw at the half time whistle.

Tracey Kourmouzis returned to the park determined to regain the advantage for City and with some hard running was able to cross the ball to the penalty spot where Jen Smith made no mistake.

Steph Pahl and Kendall Saffin took control of the midfield for Wanderers and looked for the diagonal passes which proved difficult for the City defence. Again Wanderers were able to equalise before the full time whistle, forcing the match to extra time.

Nicola Harradine and Kyra Sykes were defiant in the backline for Wanderers, refusing to capitulate to the highly regarded City attack. With only minutes remaining before penalties, City were able to pounce on a deflected save giving them the lead once again.

The final whistle saw a relieved City claim their position in the Grand Final in what will be a rematch of the 2007 decider.

Result
City 3 - (J Smith 2, L Birch)
Wanderers 2 - (K Seiler, N Kember)

Under 14 - Villa v City

Out of the blocks early, City took the lead thanks to a fine strike from Jess Stephenson. From then on, it was tempo plus with Villa striving to make up lost ground.

City's Emily Birch has improved markedly this year and was strong in the backline, confidently releasing the ball wide for midfielders. Meg Walters worked hard to increase the lead for City but Villa's defence proved too solid. Monique Ianella was able to even the score with a nicely placed shot from a strong left foot.

Early in the second half, Isabelle Slattery was able to pinpoint the central striker with a cross and Villa took the lead for the first time of the match. Janaye Donaldson's work ethic was to be commended putting City under pressure and often winning the ball for Villa.

It was to be Villa's day with their confidence in front of goal playing an important part in their victory.

Result
Villa 4 - (M Ianella 2, M Atwell 2)
City 1 - (J Stephenson)

Junior Development

The Junior Development Squad girls played their final game for 2009 in cold, wet conditions but this did not lessen their enthusiasm on the pitch.

Despite no more game play, these girls will play in important part on Grand Final day, escorting senior players onto the pitch.

The Grand Finals

There will be no matches played at Blue Lake Sports Park this weekend as girls will hit the road to play in the State Junior Country Championships to be held in Port Lincoln. Many SEWFA players will be involved in the Western Border Soccer Association Under 13 and Under 16 girls teams, which these teams under the guidance of Stuart Birch and Warren McCallum.

Play will resume at Blue Lake Sports Park on Saturday 12 September 2009 when the season will conclude with three high quality matches.

For the first time in SEWFA's history, 4 different teams will be contesting in Grand Finals matches. Villa and Wanderers will meet in the Under 14 match, whilst City will play Palace in the senior game.