Cup fever has swept the ranks of the Raiders, with a forfeit received from La Trobe University at the weekend seeing the women’s side qualify for the League Cup final, finishing the Pool 2 games undefeated.
The Raiders, second in the home-and-away competition, will face Kyneton Rangers on Sunday, August 6 in an attempt to clinch their first piece of silverware, hoping to emulate their 4-2 performance over the league ladder leaders earlier in the year.
“The girls have been really strong this year,” coach Pat Hicks said.
“Last year, they were improving their technical skills a lot. They still put in some good shifts last year and made the semis, but this year, with a couple of extras, they have put in complete performances most weeks.
“I’m expecting a fairly tight game; it depends on how high Kyneton come up the pitch. In terms of being on the ball, we’ve got both facets of the game covered, then hopefully, we can keep our spaces tight.”
But Thursday night will herald an equally special occasion for the regional soccer club.
Australia’s Women’s World Cup campaign will commence in Sydney, with the Matildas facing Ireland at 8pm in the first of their group games.
The Matildas have been drawn in Group B alongside Ireland, Canada and Nigeria, and are chasing their first World Cup title.
The Raiders will gather at Moama RSL donned in green and gold to help spur the Aussies to victory, and Hicks said the impact of having the tournament staged in Australia could not be understated for the women’s game.
“It’s hard enough to get to a World Cup overseas, so to have one here is massive,” he said.
“Everyone’s really excited about it. Quite a few are heading to games; I’m heading down (to Melbourne) on August 6, which will be good. We don’t really mind who we’re seeing; it’s just a really good experience.”
A more competitive Central Victorian League format has laid the groundwork for an improved women’s competition in recent times, according to Hicks.
“It’s certainly getting stronger,” he said.
“I think the league did a good thing a couple of years ago when they split it into two divisions. Typically, for the 10 years or so prior to that, there were two teams every year who were physically and technically strong.
“Girls would go out there and just wipe teams away with 20-plus goals every week.
“It was hard to get new girls into the sport and convince girls and women to hang around and develop their game. Splitting it has made it very competitive, and you can certainly see the base standard is improving across the board.”
Meanwhile, the men’s team will look to seal a place in the League 2 finals this week after a 4-2 win over La Trobe University Red.
Michael Tomani sent the Raiders into half-time at Epsom with a tense 1-0 lead against the higher-ranked La Trobe before young gun Brayden Hull took the game away from the opposition.
The 15-year-old struck his first goal of the day just after half-time, securing his brace in the 61st minute following Eoin Rosney’s lead-extending strike in the 49th.
This came after a 187km dash to compete in the men’s side after his under-16 clash in Swan Hill.
Raiders coach Jonathan Keele credited Hull and midfielder Austin Linehan for their impact on the contest.
“Austin Linehan played an exceptional game in the middle,” Keele said.
“Brayden Hull came on in the second half as a striker and scored two quick goals, which for a 15-year-old is quite good.
“He drove from the U-16s game in Swan Hill all the way to our game. It was a fair effort.”
Victory against La Trobe University Black will secure a finals berth for the Raiders.
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