Olympia Warriors have shaken the Statewide Cup monkey off their backs. In their third attempt at the crown, they secured a 3-1 victory over the heavily favoured Launceston United at KGV.
Right from the get go, we saw action from the visitors that can only be summed up in one word: aggression. United were hell bent on bringing the physicality to the WSL champions, not allowing the midfield of Inocent Michael and Leah Gubb any room in the opening minutes.
The pressure finally paid off when Jess Robinson scored the early breakthrough which sent the United travelling fans up in raptures. Olympia were in unfamiliar territory knowing they had to come from behind yet again as the stakes couldn’t be any higher.
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United continued their long-ball, tactics working the flanks, but this soon came to a halt when Madi Gilpin was subbed out of play with a broken wrist. Gilpin’s exit opened the door for Olympia to build momentum as they identified a weakness in the opposition’s defence.
Right before halftime, Charlotte Chambers appeared to have shanked her shot the box, but the effort somehow eased past the keeper to equalise with the 1-1 scoreline.The econd half began as it started – with a goal – but this time not from United. Olympia’s veteran Madi Chambers completed her final cup final with another tidy brace.
That marked the most meaningful moment of the match with Olympia’s third attempt at the cup the charm.
But did this represent a changing of the guard? Olympia’s youth continues to shine but they will need to keep up their consistency if they are to go back to back in the league.
United were down but not out, so there is plenty for the visitors to work towards as they have already set the bar high.
