Chelsea Whittaker player her part in her send-off too, scoring a goal in the 48th minute, as her side beat Roslyn Waikari 3-1 in the Kate Sheppard Cup clash at Ellis Park.
The classy midfielder, who has been a key for both the Royals and Southern United in the Women’s National League, is scheduled to have surgery on both her knees, ruling her out for the remainder of the season.
Coach Graeme Smaill paid tribute to Whittaker’s presence both on and off the field.
"If we talk about those role models that you want, Chelsea’s at the top of the list," Smaill said.
"We couldn’t have asked for a better girl that’s turned into a fantastic woman to be that role model for our young female players."
The Royals were made to work for their win by a strong Roslyn team.
The breakthrough came in the 26th minute, when Hannah Mackay-Wright scored and the Royals went into the break ahead 1-0.
Whittaker scored in the 48th minute, followed by Margi Dias 12 minutes later, to push the Royals out to a 3-0 lead.
Beth Fitchett’s late goal, but it was not enough to stop Roslyn being knocked out of the cup.
Smaill was pleased to get the win on the board.
"The thing that we’re doing each week is we’re creating a lot of chances in that attacking third.
"We’re creating a lot of chances, in, and around goal. I guess the challenge for us is to put more of them in the back of the net.
"[Roslyn] work really hard and they scramble really hard and there’s always at least one person there putting pressure on the person who’s got the ball at their feet."
The Royals now move forward to the third round of Kate Sheppard Cup in two weeks time, alongside Otago University.
