On Saturday, MUM FC completed the final leg of their NPLW WA treble with a comfortable 2-0 win against Perth SC in the Top 4 Cup Grand Final.
The win adds to the State Cup and League titles won earlier this season and further emphasises just how dominant coach Mark Jones’s team has been in 2021.
MUM FC came into the game at Dorrien Gardens knowing that their opponents had played 120 minutes in gruelling conditions just three days earlier and having beaten them in the three previous encounters this season, the League champions were justifiably thought of as favourites.
The opening ten minutes were a cagey affair but MUM dominated the early exchanges, and Marianna Tabain nearly opened the scoring during a goalmouth scramble in the ninth minute.
MUM FC made it 1-0 in the 16th minute when Grace Betti was released by a clever ball from Abbey Green on the right-hand side of the Perth penalty box. The young midfielder cooly picked her spot and finished well to register her 13th goal of the season.
Even though it was still early, there was a sense that Perth already had a mountain to climb, as they would now have to score twice against a team that had only conceded 15 goals all season.
Their task became even more difficult when Tabain doubled MUM FC’s lead in the 32nd minute. A long ball from the impressive Baxter Thew released Tahlia Organ down the left wing. The full-back took the ball in her stride and crossed dangerously into the box, and an attempted clearance only succeeded in presenting a gift-wrapped chance to Tabain, with the W-League centurion tucking the ball away from close range.
MUM FC now had a stranglehold on the game and was in no hurry to add to their score. The Perth attack was being well marshalled by Thew and her fellow defenders, and with captain Sadie Lawrence working overtime to provide another layer of defensive steel it seemed as though the only way Perth would score would be via a defensive error or from a set-piece.
With the clock ticking down, Perth coach Danielle Brogan tried an audacious move in the 73rd minute as she changed her goalkeepers. She moved Rebecca Bennett out of goal to play her up front, and brought on U23 keeper Shivani Battaglia to replace Sophia Neal. The move was ultimately fruitless though as the game meandered to a quiet and non-eventful close.
The trophy was presented to the champions by Perth Glory coach Alex Epakis, who also gave the player of the game medal to Marianna Tabain.
