Tasman step away from chasing pack

Tasman United have created an 11 point buffer between them and fourth place after successfully navigating their way through another potentially difficult double header on the weekend.

Sports Therapy Tasman appear destined to finish third place in their first Mainland Women’s Premier League season after edging Universities 1-0 at Ilam Fields in Christchurch yesterday to follow up Saturday’s 4-2 win over FC Twenty11.

They have just three games left to play and remain eight points behind runners-up Coastal Spirit.

Tasman coach Ryan Stewart shuffled the pack for the game against bottom-placed Universities on Sunday with Kelsey Barrett, Flo MacIntyre and Amelia Abbott among the fringe players to be named in the starting 11.

But while Universities may have won just one game this season, their stubborn defence, and the gusty winds, made life difficult for Tasman.

Abbott, the second youngest member of the squad, finally broke the deadlock in the 55th minute, scoring the game’s only goal as Tasman took a deserved 1-0 lead.

‘‘Their best friend was the 80km/h winds that we were playing in. If it wasn’t windy we would have battered them but they just sat back and tried to frustrate us,’’ coach Ryan Stewart said.

Briar Luff had earlier scored another hat-trick as Tasman came from behind to beat FC Twenty11 Avonhead Park 24 hours prior.

FC Twenty11 led 2-1 at halftime, Lucrettia Taylor scoring a brace and Luff pulling one back for the visitors.

Tasman settled into their rhythm in the second half, Luff equalising shortly after the break before scoring her third of the game with just 10 minutes to go.

Tayla Hampton then scored what Stewart described as ‘‘the best goal I’ve ever seen’’, rocketing a ball from halfway to seal the 4-2 victory.

‘‘She just smashed it, I thought it was going miles over, but it’s gone in and clipped the bar on the way in,’’ he said.

‘‘It was unbelievable, an absolute screamer.’’