Stingrays coach Bruce Tilt says there were a couple of bright spots to emerge from Sunday's disappointing 4-2 loss to Sydney University.
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A second-half brace from substitute Holly Caspers proved the difference at JJ Kelly Park, after the side's were locked at 1-1 at half time. The result means Illawarra have slipped from third to fourth on the NSW Women's NPL ladder.
While it was a frustrating result, Tilt remained upbeat after the game, praising two of his youngest players for their performances.
"Young Maddie Smith came in and she did really well, she was thrown in there a little bit. Ursula," Tilt said.
"Ursula Bratjanscak started the game because Talitha Kramer wasn't well, and she did well too. She's sort of new to the team, but has a lot of excitement about her, a lot of energy, and she got us a penalty. She's going to step up over the next few weeks which will be good."
An errant Stingrays pass opened the door for University to score the opening goal after 13 minutes. The ball was moved forward to Sarah Morgan, whose long-range shot went over the head of goalkeeper Sophie Emery and into the back of the net.
However, University's joy was short lived. The Stingrays capitalised on a Uni defensive error, leading to Bratjanscak being dragged down inside Sydney's box minutes later. The referee pointed to the penalty spot, with Michelle Carney stepping up to give Illawarra the equaliser.
Tilt said the game's turning point came around half time, when he was forced to take off Margaux Chauvet.
"We lost Margaux out of that holding midfield role which meant we had to re-adjust and move things around, and it didn't just work for us. They're a good side and you've got to be at your best, and you've got to have your best players out there. And we just didn't have it at that particular time, which was tough," he said.
"It's an ongoing thing. Margaux is in the envious position of working with the Emerging Matildas and with that comes a lot of overload. And rather than standing down time with them, she stands down with us. She only does half a session all week with us, and we look at what to do with her game time. And she didn't have any more in the tank to go on with it on the weekend."
Kaitlin Torpey scored in the 59th minute, before Caspers also found the back of the net minutes later to give Uni a 3-1 advantage.
The Stingrays refused to give in, with Kramer capitalising on a nice cross the 72th minute, however, Caspers had her double minutes later to extend their lead to 4-2.
Any chance of a late comeback was snuffed out when Sheridan Gallagher received her second yellow card.
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
