BALLARAT Lady Devils has fallen back to the bottom of the Football Federation Victoria women’s state league one table, going down 4-1 at the hands of North Geelong Warriors at Morshead Park on Sunday.
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Coming up against a side that was far more experienced and physically larger, the Ballarat Scrap Metal Lady Devils were always going to be in for a tough encounter.
However, coach Rick Romein said he was still confident of his side’s ability heading into the match, especially given its breakthrough win for the season in the previous round.
It just took four minutes for the Lady Devils to fall behind though, as North Geelong found the back of the net early.
The visitors continued to impact the scoreboard, scoring at the 26, 46 and 58-minute marks to take a 4-0 lead.
Ballarat did receive a late consolation goal after a tackle on Lulu Al-Huneidi, which drew a penalty that the striker calmly converted.
But it was too little, too late for the young Lady Devils.
“We will always have lapses due to our youth and inexperience,” Romein said.
“It’s part and parcel of the process while we are educating these girls in a soccer-specific environment.
“We are looking to the future and we know that these girls will always perform to their abilities. I am excited to think that in two or three years, these three squads will definitely give us so much depth and quality.”
In the reserves game, Ballarat’s injury woes continued with what looked like a serious knee injury to striker Sophie Emota in the first half after she scored her second goal for the game.
Tessa Curtain also scored in her comeback game and played a vital role in the 3-4 loss.
The under-16s travelled to South Melbourne and lost 4-1, with Kyra Cooney-Cross scoring the goal.