Decisive moment for Army girls

Pte Lauren Lennox (in red) attempts to tackle Flg-Off Sarah Horne.

By Cpl Alisha Welch

THE Army women’s soccer team proved that they are a force to be reckoned with at the recent NSW Interservice soccer titles.

The championship decider against Navy went down to a penalty shootout after the 90-minute whistle blast saw the game drawn at two-all.

In what turned into the most exciting match of the tournament, Navy eventuated final winners after they beat Army 3-2 in the deciding shootout.

Earlier in the competition, the Army girls thrashed Air Force 7-2, as did Navy 8-0.

Army team coach WO2 Steve McNaughton said for the team to perform so well it was a great achievement as many players had not touched a soccer ball before the tournament began. “We do, however, have about three or four players who play in civilian competitions so that helped in our performance,” he said. “This was a team we formed basically on the day because of the little response we had to recruitment calls. They were impressive. “I have a lot of experience coaching mens soccer and found that because some of the girls had so little experience, I had to explain everything literally.”

He said that proved advantageous because the girls put into practice exactly what he said. “When it comes to the nationals, we’ll get the team in camp for a week leading up to the competition.” He said the NSW competition had unearthed a wealth of talent that would be showcased later in the year at the ADF Interservice titles.

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