FOOTBALL Mid North Coast went within the barest of margins of claiming both under-12 and under-14 girls champion status at Coffs Harbour last week.
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In the Northern NSW Football State Skill Acquisition Championships, the under-14s registered six wins and a draw from their seven matches to top their pool.
Their under-12 counterparts didn’t lose a game, but a four-win, two-draw record saw them fall one point short of NNSWF Select SAP.
Northern NSW finished with five wins and one loss – to Mid North Coast – but still held on to top spot.
FMNC technical director Larry Budgen said they couldn’t have gone much closer to winning both age groups.
“We could have had our first-ever double, but one point prevented that from happening,” he said.
“It shows that our elite pathways program is working with the hubs and we’re looking at (putting hubs) at Forster and Kempsey for the 10s and 11s next year.”
The under-14s only conceded one goal all tournament while Hastings trio Mia Bales and Jessica Watts (six) and Chelsea Hall (one) all finding the back of the net in the tournament.
They finished with six wins and one draw.
It wraps up a successful season for the team who had won 20 matches from 21 starts in the Women’s Premier League.
They completed the competition at Coffs Harbour with 19 points – five ahead of North Coast.
Mid North Coast fell just short in the under-12s with Tash Mackie (6), Milla Crabbe (1), Chelsea Hackenberg (1), Allanah Logan-Pye (1), Zara Williams (1) all scoring.
A strong defensive display resulted in the girls conceding just the three goals all tournament.