After a tense opening 40 minutes South Yarra found an avenue to goal in the 42^nd minute when the Strikers failed to defend a strong run down the left wing and the resulting cross. 

After a strong rally from the visitors in the first portion of the second half the Strikers were able to find the back of the net when Vanessa Yung found space on the left hand side to deliver a cross which was tapped through by Nat Barbara.

The home side were quick to reply to the goal, again re-establishing a lead in the 65^th minute.  The Strikers were rewarded for their continued efforts in the 82^nd minute when Tess Meaden was taken down in the box, with Lujeyn Al-Huneidi converting the penalty.

While it looked as though the Strikers would be able to salvage a draw from the contest, in the dying minutes South Yarra was able to again put its nose in front when the former women’s premier league side hammered home a corner.

Strikers coach Laura Brady said the loss was frustrating as the visitors had wasted opportunities in front of goal.

“We’ve got a young team and the strength of that is the pace, but the weakness is they struggle to problem solve on the pitch,” Brady said.  “It’s been good to come up against some tough teams, and it was really good to see us fight back twice.”

The young Strikers outfit struggled on the smaller pitch against their older opponents.  Brady said while the larger surface at Morshead Park suited the Strikers fast playing style, the side would have to get accustomed to the narrow grounds in Melbourne.

The Strikers will have the next week off before facing off against rivals University of Melbourne Soccer Club, who defeated the Ballarat side in the 2015 grand final.  The Strikers were also accounted for by the Melbourne side in their most recent encounter, going down 3-2 in the Team App Cup earlier this month.

The Ballarat side will be hoping Tessa Curtain makes a speedy recovery ahead of the clash after sustaining a hamstring injury.