Adelaide United Women draw a curtain on their Westfield W-League 2018/19 season when they face Brisbane Roar Women at Marden Sports Complex on Friday night.
While the Reds’ have missed out on securing a maiden Finals berth – their ultimate objective – Emma Checker said there was still plenty to be proud of.
Under the guidance of Head Coach, Ivan Karlović, the Reds have taken immense strides forward this season – indicative of collecting their highest ever points total.
Checker reflected on what has been a rollercoaster season after beginning the campaign with so much promise.
“The reality is it’s disappointing and it’s hard to accept the fact that we’ve gone from doing so well to ending up missing finals.
“And I think this year was the year where we generally believed that we had what it took and we were good enough to make it happen.
“But at the end of the day sport can be cruel, and it can be tough and we had three hard results in a row that turned things around pretty quickly.
“But at the same time there are so many positives that we can take from the season, and as a whole we’ve really come along way and progressed.
“In the future we’ve got a lot of positives to look forward to.”
Since a thrilling 3-2 win over Newcastle Jets on New Year’s Eve, Adelaide suffered three straight defeats, dashing their hopes of an historic Finals berth.
Checker admitted it was difficult to pin point exactly the reasons behind their dip in form, though suggested momentary lapses in concentration at key moments did not help.
“It’s tough, I think the game on the weekend (against Newcastle Jets) we dominated and I felt like we were the better team on the park,” she said as they went down 2-1.
“We did create a lot of chances but that’s no blame on the girls up front because as much as we didn’t score like we needed to, we still conceded two goals as well.
“Had we kept a clean sheet that would’ve changed things as well.
“I think we just started to lapse a little bit in form when it really mattered and I think other teams stepped us as well.”
However, they will now be looking to add to their record tally of 15 points against a Roar side who have already secured a spot in the top four.
Veronica Latsko’s sublime finish was the difference between the two sides when they met in Brisbane back in Round 3.
Checker said the team will be determined to finish the season on a positive note.
“The job’s not done, we want to finish with a win and we want to prove a point that we did deserve to be there,” said Checker.
“If you look at our results against the teams that are sitting in the top four we’ve done really well, and if we beat Brisbane again it’s just a really positive way for us to finish.”
Adelaide United Women host Brisbane Roar Women in Round 14 of the Westfield W-League 2018/19 season on Friday, 1 February at Marden Sports Complex. Kick-off is at 7.00pm ACDT. Gates open at 6.00pm.
