Watsonia 2 claimed a nail-biting victory in their Section 4 semi-final with Epping 1, winning by just two goals at La Trobe Sports Stadium.
The Blues won both regular season encounters by six goals, including in the final round of the regular season last week.
However, it was third time lucky for the Saints who were able to run over the top of Epping 24-22 and keep their 2023 season alive.
The chemistry of Paige Kenny and Kara O’Donohue in the attacking third was strong and kept the Saints in the game throughout the opening three terms before the last quarter shooting heroics of Mali Baillie helped her side get over the line.
That trio had a terrific battle with Epping goal defence Megan Tinsley for most of the night. She fought hard throughout the game to ensure every goal from the opposition was earnt.
Rebekah Konstantopoulos starred for the Blues in attack, scoring 17 of the side’s 22 goals.
Both sides eased their way into the match as the first term commenced, with each team’s defensive efforts on show.
The end of the opening term saw the Blues have a narrow one-goal margin.
As the second quarter got underway, the Saints came out with an intent to take back the lead and did so in the opening few minutes of the quarter.
With the lead getting out to three goals in favour of Watsonia, both sides lifted their intensity, particularly Epping, who did well around the court to gain some momentum and reduce the deficit to one-goal at half time.
The defensive traits of both sides again came to the forefront at the beginning of the second half as just two goals were scored between the two sides inside the first three minutes of the term.
But the Blues then put their foot to the gas midway through the quarter to surge into the lead.
The Saints responded to even proceedings, but Epping had a promising finish to the quarter, scoring two late goals to take an important advantage into the final term.
In a highly anticipated last quarter, Watsonia threatened to break through, keeping possession of the ball often but initially being unable to capitalise on their attacking chances.
But their ability to consistently produce opportunities inside their attacking half led them to regaining the advantage in the middle stages of the quarter.
The Epping defensive duo of Tinsley and Amber Baddeley-Kelly held firm despite the momentum being shifted to their opposition’s favour and each produced some great efforts to keep the Blues in the hunt.
But Mali Baillie was able to step up when it counted, putting through some late goals to help the Saints claim a two-goal victory and book their spot in this week’s preliminary final.
