One of the biggest upsets in recent years of the Far North Queensland's Football Semi-Finals was recorded on Friday night when the Concordia Tigers Women's team defeated Parkside in a thrilling extra time battle.
The semi finals kicked off in Mount Isa, with the bottom of the table Tigers taking on the strongly favoured, third place Parkside.
Despite being the underdogs - with just one win and one draw from 15 games - Concordia put everything on the line wanting to prove themselves against the odds.
Both teams came out strong and made it a tense start to the knockout clash, but it was the Tigers who got the early upper-hand, as Katherine Hardie put the ball into the netting to open the scoring.
It didn't take long for Parkside's Tian O'Keefe to answer, with a tremendous goal from a corner kick.
After missing a good opportunity to score earlier in the match, Tigers Co-captain - and Mount Isa City Mayor - Danielle Slade was not going to be denied a secon time, rocketing home a header off a pin-point corner kick from centre mid Lisa Marschke.
Andrea Bowcock's backline put up a phenomenal defence and when the whistle blew for halftime, the Tigers led 2-1.
Parkside were the first to impose themselves on the second half, putting away two early goals to take the lead at 3-2.
It wasn't until Hardie was able to put a lovely goal away that scores were once again equalled, and with the full time whistle blown, the match was headed to extra time.
The first half of extra time saw no changes in the score, despite some opportunities. Tigers goalkeeper Jess Clift had an outstanding game, denying her opponents.
The crucial game winner came in the final minute of the match.
It looked like a penalty shoot out would be deciding the game, until Marschke had another corner opportunity and once again found Slade, who was able to convert a goal from another perfect kick.
With that final act the Tigers won 4-3, and amidst the celebrations, Slade was quick to praise her team's resilience and determination.
"This is what sport is all about," she said. "It's about believing in yourself and your team, even when the odds are stacked against you.
"The Tigers girls came to this game, giving their all, and it paid off."
Slade praised the Parkside Team for a tremendous game.
Isaroos defeated the Minor Premier Sandfire Bulls 4 - Nil in the other semi final, giving Isaroos a week off and setting up a preliminary final between the Sandfire Bulls and Concordia Tigers.
Finn Coleman
Having grown-up in the Hawkesbury, I understand the importance of the Hawkesbury Gazette in highlighting stories that members of the local community care about - including events, businesses, sports and the people that make our town unique.
Having grown-up in the Hawkesbury, I understand the importance of the Hawkesbury Gazette in highlighting stories that members of the local community care about - including events, businesses, sports and the people that make our town unique.
