Adelaide City vs Salisbury Inter
Preliminary Final
7:30 pm | Friday 16 September | ServiceFM Stadium
Last Meeting: (2/9/22) WNPLSA Final Series Week 1 | Adelaide City 1 v Salisbury Inter 0 AET
It all comes down to this, will Salisbury Inter enter their second consecutive WNPLSA Grand Final and compete to secure back-to-back Championship's, or will Adelaide City return to the promised land after missing out on their first Grand Final last season?
After the devastation of missing out on their first Grand Final in 2021, Adelaide City has been eager to return to their very best in 2022, demonstrating on numerous occasions signs of their past glories. Narrowly missing out on league glory and WNPL & WSL Cup success, Adelaide City has now put their aim and focus on completing the season with a Championship as they look to gain the opportunity to challenge West Adelaide for the 2022 WNPLSA Championship. However, Adelaide City must look to overcome Salisbury Inter one last time, as they aim to repeat their heroics from only two weeks ago and beat Salisbury Inter. Although securing three victories throughout the 2022 season against Salisbury Inter, Adelaide City still faces an incredibly tough challenge. In all three victories this season, Adelaide City have not secured a win bigger than one goal, with their most recent win coming from an extra-time goal in the Qualifying Final in the first week of the Finals Series. Under the guidance of Angelo Paul, Adelaide City has seen numerous players contribute incredible seasons, with Valeria Guajardo and Katie Bowler both producing their best goalscoring campaigns yet, leading to Bowler signing a scholarship with Adelaide United’s Women’s Team alongside teammate Zoe Tolland. Paul will be hoping to see his two leading goal scorers leading from the front with the team searching for another Grand Final appearance.
Their opponents Salisbury Inter will be hungry to erase all doubts in their minds as they seek to knock off Adelaide City for the first time this season. In their title defence season, Salisbury Inter will be extremely pleased to be provided with the opportunity to battle it out to earn a spot in their second consecutive WNPLSA Grand Final and potentially face West Adelaide in a rematch from last season's Grand Final. After losing to Adelaide City in the Qualifying Final only two weeks ago, as a 1-0 extra-time loss sunk their dreams, Salisbury Inter bounced back in fantastic fashion as they knocked off an informed Adelaide Comets team 2-1, with Nicole Calder and Emily Heazlewood both securing first-half goals. Although losing star forward Maria Jose Rojas Pino during the season, Salisbury Inter has still produced a strong end to the season that has seen them earn a place in the 2022 WNPLSA Preliminary Final. Salisbury Inter will hope to see another strong display of defensive performances tonight as they look to withhold a strong attacking outfit in Adelaide City.
Adelaide City line-up: 1. Claudia Jenkins (GK), 2. Zoe Tolland, 4. Daniela Di Bartolo (C), 5. Alyce Macauley, 6. Dylan Holmes, 7. Valeria Guajardo, 8. Alanah Ursino, 10. Alison Atkins, 11. Alicia Nickolas, 13. Sophie Leszczynski, 15. Bianca Gray, 16. Isabel Hodgson, 19. Katie Bowler, 24. Florence Russell
Coaches: Angelo Paul, Ayoub Hassine, Masoud Teymouri, Brian Gale
Team Staff: Seymour Di Bartolo, Nik Hagicostas, Tricia Yan Wen Soh
Salisbury Inter line-up: 1. Matilda Comley, 6. Nicole Calder, 10. Khal Adam Khan, 11. Nicola Frazzetto, 13. Angelique Vreugdenburg, 14. Emily Heazlewood, 15. Sharni Tansell, 16. Jaya Pagatpat, 18. Jasmine Styles, 20. Erin Hood, 21. Elana Dalakis, 23. Mina Nishitani, 24. Danielle Harmer, 25. Brea Harmer, 26. Natalie Librandi, 30. Chloe Shaw
Coaches: Simon Catanzaro, Darran King, Brad Donovan, Phil Hallard
Team Staff: Tamara Simeoni, Aleksandra Lalusic, Chantelle Ryder