Urunga Raiders continue season of supremacy

THE Urunga Raiders have continued their season of supremacy with two wins in two days against fellow top-3 sides on the weekend.

The Raiders started their weekend with an 8-0 win against the Coffs City United Lionesses at Forsyth Park, during the latest round of the Coastal League One Women season.

The rampaging Raiders then beat the Boambee Eagles 3-1 in their top of the table clash at Ayrshire Park, a fixture which was postponed from last month.

The Raiders have now won nine matches in a row to start the season.

Raiders coach Trevor Martin said his side had endured an exhausting schedule.

“We’ve played four matches in one week, and credit to the girls for pushing through and getting the results,” he said.

“After the Boambee game I got a lot of messages from the players saying they were sore.

“The Boambee Eagles are our biggest rivals, so to get the win under the circumstances and score eleven goals and concede one goal for the weekend the girls are feeling good, but physically they have paid the price.”

Martin was pleased with how his side managed the game against the Boambee Eagles.

“We slowed the game down and took the intensity down, and it was about game management which we have worked on improving,” he said.

“It’s about controlling the game rather than always going forward and getting goals, and as an attacking unit who gets a lot of goals it can be hard for them to do, but due to the circumstances this game gave them an incentive to slow the game down and control it.”

After beating all before them this season, the Raiders now head to Newcastle to take on some of the best women’s sides in the state.

“We’re playing the Women’s State Cup this weekend, which will be against teams from the Newcastle NPL and semi-professional clubs which have W-League players,” he said.

“We’ve previously gone down as a composite rep team, but this year it will be as the Raiders.

“Last year we beat the team that actually won it, and we get a lot of respect when we play at the State Cup, and I think we will do well again this year.”