The gutsy side proved yet again they punch above their weight, beating Kate Sheppard Cup champions Western Springs 3-2 at Logan Park Turf yesterday.
It was a stunning performance from Southern, who now sit third in the national league.
It was a game that had it all, including a frenzy of four goals in five minutes and a red card, as they battled through drizzle and sunshine.
Southern showed they are the ones to watch, and shifted another gear from last week’s 5-0 win in only their third game together — compared to the league’s club teams including Western, who played their 27th game yesterday — as a region-based team.
"To be able to put a performance together our third game in ... we were under the pump at the end, but to be able to adjust and sit there and really focus on wanting to win — there’s no other team in the league that has a bigger ticker than us and I think we’ve just shown that now," elated head coach Kris Ridley said after the game.
Their performance shut down Western’s chances and created some magic moments of their own, sending a statement to the rest of the league.
"We were pretty confident coming in that we could perform.
"Were we confident enough that we were going to beat them? Yeah, we have to be now.
"I think that pretty much is a statement that we’re not the underdogs any more, you know, which is awesome.
"People are going to find it hard to come here and take points."
It was a a full team effort to get across the line. Captain Rose Morton covered a wealth of ground, Margarida Dias produced two wonder strikes, Kendrah Smith was busy and the back three of Toni Power, Hannah McKay-Wright and Marissa Porteous were solid.
Western Springs had the better of the game’s opening 10 minutes, as their speed cut through Southern and the well-drilled side created chances.
They were rewarded in the 12th minute through Lily Taitimu. Western’s corner left the home side scrambling to exit as Taitimu slid through to nudge the ball in.
Southern found their rhythm after the opener to score three tremendous goals.
Power’s strike opened up a chance for Dias, who poked the ball as she slid along the ground to just sneak down the right side of the goal.
Smith struck her penalty perfectly from 25m out to hit the top of the bar and drop down giving Southern a 2-1 lead.
Less than a minute later, Amy Hislop tipped the ball over her back for Dias to collect just inside the box.
She then looked stunned as she smacked the ball in to the net.
"We didn’t score a whole lot last year so to be quite dominant and putting the ball in the net regularly each week is just exactly what a coach wants to see," Ridley said.
Western hit back with a beauty of their own. From just outside the left corner of the box, Lara Colpi’s screamer curled into the top right of the net to trail 3-2 at the break.
Southern worked hard to defend their lead in the second half and stunted most of Western’s flow across the park.
The visitors found themselves in trouble in the 73rd minute when defender Tiana Hill was red carded for a late sliding challenge.
It left them under the pump and Southern chipped away to force several corners in the last 10 minutes to pressure Western.
In the other games, Eastern Suburbs beat Wellington Phoenix Reserves 3-0, Auckland United won 3-1 against Waterside Koroi, Wellington United thumped Ellerslie 5-2, and Central and Canterbury United drew 2-2.
National Women’s League
The scores
Southern United 3
Margarida Dias 32’, 36’, Kendrah Smith 35’
Western Springs 2
Lily Taitimu 12’, Lara Colpi 37’
Halftime: 3-2
