PASCOE Vale made history at Windy Hill on Sunday when it claimed a 55-point win over Burnside Heights.
A five-goal-to-none second quarter opened the floodgates for the undefeated Panthers to continue their reign, despite captain, Bridgette Aparo not playing and leading goal kicker, Siobhan Carlton failing to register a major.
Jessica George stood up in their place, winning the best-on-ground medal, which was awarded by the umpires.
The Panthers lost the toss and kicked to the Napier Street end, where goals were at a premium in a day of miserable conditions.
That didn’t seem to faze them though, as they scored the opening goal, courtesy of Lisa Kirby, to take a seven-point lead into quarter time after a tight first term.
Enter Sarah Theuma.
The star forward turned the game on its head, kicking three consecutive goals in four minutes to begin the second term.
One goal in particular generated plenty of crowd noise, as Theuma threaded the needle on the boundary line in what was a marvellous goal.
The second-term goals didn’t stop there though, as Lessey Hodgkinson got on the board seven minutes later.
Midfielder, Aimee Whelan also got on the board late in the quarter, which acted as a reward for her efforts in the stoppages.
The forwards may have to thank Sarah Larkings for their dominance, as she was able to repel the ball magnificently off half-back and penetrate it forward.
This gave the Bears no chance to enter their forward 50 and consequently, they went into the main break with a 40-point deficit.
To begin the third quarter, Krissy Trang continued to dominate for Burnside Heights, often accumulating the ball on the outside and using her speed and smarts to evade opponents.
She had an enthralling battle against Rebecca Foggie, whose long kicks and strong hands allowed the Panthers to pile the pressure onto the Bears.
One Bear in particular who was feeling the pressure was captain, Kayla Ravanello.
In her 50th game, she struggled to make an impact but played the team role when she needed to, often rotating through the midfield and the forward line to help her team gain some momentum.
On the Pacco side of things, EDFL Women’s Team of the Year centre-half back, Emma Westgarth kicked the only goal of the quarter, allowing her side to increase its lead to 49 points at the last break.
Trang and teammate, Maria Afuhaamango continued to try hard for their side in the last quarter, going in hard to win the ball.
Sina Mason was one of the Bears’ best, accumulating plenty of the ball and consistently going in hard to win it.
But Jessica George’s long kicks and ability to find and create space caused headaches for the Bears, making it impossible to gain any territory during the game.
Up forward, it was Sarah Theuma who scored early in the last term to take her goal kicking tally to four for the day.
She was complemented by some good delivery from Abigail Storer, whose ball use was sublime and played a huge part in the thumping win.
Theuma’s goal extended the final margin to 55 points, and saw the Panthers become the first EDFL Women’s premiers.
PASCOE VALE 8.7-55
Goal Kickers: S. Theuma 4, E. Westgarth, L. Hodgkinson, L. Kirby, A. Whelan
Best Players: R. Foggie, A. Storer, L. Kirby, C. Matsa, S. Theuma, A. Whelan
BURNSIDE HEIGHTS 0.0-0
Goal Kickers: None
Best Players: Not supplied
