Coastal Spirit chase victory in cup final
Six Coastal Spirit players are striving for their second Kate Sheppard Cup winner’s medal – six years after their first.
The Christchurch club – winners of the 2013 national women’s football knockout title – will meet Eastern Suburbs in this season’s final in Auckland tomorrow.
Captain and centreback Chloe Jones, goalkeeper Una Foyle and midfielders Lauren Dabner, Whitney Hepburn, Chloe Webster and Bel van Noorden are the survivors from Coastal’s maiden cup final victory at Christchurch’s English Park in 2013.
A seventh 2013 title winner – Mel Cameron – will miss the final through suspension after two yellow cards in the semifinal.
Assistant coach and Coastal Spirit football development manager Gary Bennett said Coastal were proud to have reached a third national cup final.
‘‘It’s a fantastic achievement considering the club has only been around for 13 years,’’ he said.
Coastal – formed through a merger of New Brighton and Rangers in 2007 – ‘‘took a big blow’’ when Christchurch’s eastern suburbs – where Coastal are based – were hit by hard by the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.
‘‘The club lost its home in a trying period but survived due to the togetherness and loyalty of the local people,’’ Bennett said.
The Coastal Spirit women’s programme was built by ex-head coach and former club football development manager Gareth Turnbull, who coached Canterbury United Pride to national success and has spent the last seven years as a head coach or in assistant roles with national women’s teams.
He guided Coastal to their first national final in 2011, a defeat to Glenfield Rovers in Palmerston North.
Alana Gunn took over from Turnbull and won the cup in her first season. After five seasons in charge, she moved onto the Canterbury United Pride, delivering the national title in 2018 with 10 Coastal players in her squad.
Canterbury United men’s national league player Juan Chang is now Coastal’s coach, assisted by Bennett and long-time manager Heather Hepburn.
‘‘The premier team has kept a core of players for several years, which has been the key to consistent success,’’ Bennett said.
Coastal have won nine Mainland women’s premier league titles and will supply 12 players to the Canterbury United Pride national league team this year.
Bennett said the 2019 cup campaign had been ‘‘one long road trip’’. After early round wins over Mainland rivals Universities (3-0), Nelson Suburbs (10-0) and Waimakariri United (1-0), Coastal travelled to Dunedin to beat Dunedin Technical (6-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw) in the quarterfinals before edging Wellington United 1-0 after extra time in the semifinal in the capital after skipper Jones’ 100th-minute goal.
Coastal are aiming to keep the trophy in the South Island after Dunedin Technical’s maiden win last year.
They will be without two key players on international duty – Tahlia Herman-Watt, who is playing for New Zealand at the Oceania confederation under-19 championships in Rarotonga, and Futsal Fern Britney-Lee Nicholson.
Eastern Suburbs are also in their third cup final, having lost to ninetime champions Lynn Avon United in 2005 and Glenfield Rovers in 2017.