The navy of the central coast of the oppressed won their first female title in A-League on Sunday after planning 5-4 during a penalty shootout against Melbourne’s victory in Aami Park.
The scores were launched at 1-1 after the regulation and the additional time, forcing the first penalty shootout in the grand final of the competition.
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Alana Jancevski from Victory struck the crossbar during the first kick before the navies calmly naper five in a row to trigger jubilation scenes.
“We were very lucky to win and they did not have the chance to lose,” said Sarah Langman, the naval goalkeeper.
“We were ready (for the penalty shootout) and we knew that we could do it.”
Not showing any nerves in their first appearance in the final, Mariners challenged the partisan crowd with the member of the Matildas team, Isabel Gomez, breaking the dead end in the 46th minute.
The victory was forced to have the mode of attack in order to become the first team since the Sydney FC in 2009 to come from behind and to win a grand final.
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After waves of attack, the victory was finally rewarded when the New Zealand international Claudia Bunge led the ball in front of Langman in the 80th minute.
For the second time in the history of the competition, the grand finale has passed in an additional time, but none of the teams could break.
The triumph of the navy was a remarkable return to the smallest female club in the A-League after being expelled from the competition in 2010 due to a lack of funding before making a famous return two years ago.
During a regular season where they finished fourth, Mariners presented a tactical discipline under Emily Mari, one of the only two coaches in the 12 team league.
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They entered the final at the back of a large semi-final to end Melbourne City’s hope of a triple trophy.
It was a fruitful period for the franchise with the male team of the Mariners who claimed consecutive titles.
The grand finale of the A-League men will take place on May 31.
TL / MTP
