Loss ‘kind of like a win’

Southern United rounded off a tough week with a gutsy 1-0 loss to top-of-the-table Eastern Suburbs in Auckland yesterday.

United was missing three regular starters and had to scramble to get a side together. There was still a vacant spot on the bench which highlights the sort of trials the team went through.

Despite the setbacks, Southern battled on admirably. To hold a powerful attacking side like Eastern to one goal was a strong performance, coach Kris Ridley said.

"We made one mistake and they finished it. Other than that we kept them goalless," he said.

"We had a game plan and the girls controlled the game really well.

"To go down 1-0 was kind of like a win for us because that was our sixth game together and that was their 26th."

Kennedy Bryant was rule out with Covid. Margarida Dias was unavailable and Sarah Morton has a slight injury niggle.

That stripped Southern of strike power up front and it showed during the game. While the side defended with tenacity, it lacked the class in the attacking third.

Passes were drifting wide of their mark, opportunities were muffed and there was not the normal fluency up front.

Eastern striker Juliette Lucas slammed in the winner 11 minutes into the game. There was a goal mouth scramble following a corner and it fell nicely for the quality finisher.

Southern had opportunities to level.

Jemma Wilson nodded one at goal but the keeper was well in position and pulled it in.

Defender Toni Power made a nice run on to the through ball and sent the shot hurtling towards the net. She got plenty of power behind the shot but Brooke Bennett had that covered as well.

"We had lots of opportunities, but opportunities for us are not necessarily in the final third or in the box for us.

"It is small steps for us at the moment. We didn’t have an attacking side out there at all and we had to fill gaps."

Eastern lead the competition standings with five wins from five games. Southern is in fifth place with two wins from five games.

In other results this round, Capital and Auckland United had a 4-4 draw, Central and Western Springs drew 1-1 and Northern Rovers dispatched Canterbury United 4-1.