Winning drought goes on

ACW Emma Sharland keeps the ball on side against a Navy player in the national ADF soccer carnival.

Photo by AB Yuri Ramsey

Determination and a set game play wasn’t enough for a gutsy Air Force women’s soccer team to overcome their 13-year drought of soccer success when they lost 2-0 to Navy in the final of the national ADF soccer carnival in Sydney.

Air Force men’s suffered a tighter defeat by Navy of 1-2 in their final.

Women’s Air Force soccer coach Flight Sergeant Brett Chapman said he was proud of the side, which beat Army in their first match and “didn’t drop their heads in the final against Navy”.

“We set a game plan, and they never varied from it. They gave it their all, 100 per cent, and that’s all I asked from them,” he said.

The coach of the men’s team, Corporal Garry Baverstock described the men’s match against Navy as fairly even in the first-half.

“Navy had one chance and we had two or three chances, but were unable to put them away,” he said.

The second-half seemed a repeat of the first, Navy scoring a second goal to seemingly seal their victory. Air Force kicked one but couldn’t score another.

.