Inverloch take Pride Cup honours over Knights

INVERLOCH Stars and Leongatha Knights came together at Inverloch on Sunday to mark the third annual Pride Cup round of the FV Gippsland Soccer League with the senior women’s and reserves men’s sides of both clubs gathering on the pitch before their Round 4 fixtures to recognise the inclusion message that has come to define the cup.

The senior women’s Pride Cup decider opened with even possession and the bulk of the early battles fought in midfield before Inverloch broke the deadlock when Stars midfielder Kit Ingold expertly executed a shot from the edge of the 18 yard box that gave the home side a 1-0 lead at the first interval.

The remainder of the first half saw both teams create chances at either end with the Knights and Stars defences kept busy as the rain came in over the ground.

The contest continued evenly into the second half with the visiting Knights drawing level when Rachel Brown finished neatly to make it 1-1.

Despite a series of strong clearances and clean ups by the Knights defence Inverloch attacker Sarah Ham found a pass around the defensive line to put her side back in front before a powerful volley from Maxine Urquhart that found the top left corner sealed a 3-1 win for the Stars in the marquee fixture of the day.

The Knights senior men salvaged a major result for Leongatha on the road with a 4-1 win over Inverloch in the corresponding men’s senior fixture while the Stars reserves accounted for the Knights 7-1 in the supporting senior men’s match.

The junior card was a mixed bag for the Leongatha club with the Phillip Island Penguins defeating Leongatha 7-1 in the under 12A grade while the Knights under 12B side fought back to defeat Inverloch 6-0 at the lower age level.

Inverloch downed Leongatha 5-1 in the under 12 girls and the under 14 mixed contest finished in a 1-1 draw between the two sides at the Leongatha end of the patch.

The under 17 mixed match went the way of Inverloch with a 4-3 result that came down to the wire as both squads traded goals in a tight contest that swung Inverloch’s way late.

The Pride Cup has grown into a fixture on the Gippsland soccer calendar since being launched as a joint Knights and Stars initiative and the clubs use the occasion each season to promote inclusion across the South Gippsland and Bass Coast soccer community.