United Ladies prepare for season defining game
24 / 09 / 2016
FK Liepāja 
The Black Cats hope they’ll be on the winning side against Liepāja on Saturday.
Date published: 24/09/2016 - 09:50
Riga United FC Ladies vs FK Liepāja
Venue: Rīgas Vidusskola 49. Futbola Stadions
Kick off: 24/09/2016 - 14:00
It’s ‘D-Day’ for Riga United Ladies as they face a tough challenge
from FK Liepāja, in what will be a season defining game. Win
or draw and it looks almost certain they will take 3rd place. Lose
and they will have to wait for the outcome of the RFS-Rēzekne game,
which will be played at 16:00.
The Black Cats have been brooding for three weeks now, since their
last game, when they lost 2-0 to Rēzekne. With this game, they
missed the chance to solidate their position in 3rd place.
However, according to Ladies’ Head Coach Justin Walley,
following that, the Ladies have been preparing hard for it this
week: “In training on Monday the girls gave it 100% and looked
really hungry for this game. I hope they turn up with that same
attitude because if they do, they will win.”
There is also a lot of emotion tied-up with this game, as it will
be the last game for Justin as he leaves the club at the end of the
month: “I must admit I feel very emotional about Saturday. Not only
is it my last game in charge of the ladies but I will soon be
leaving the club and Latvia. It goes without saying that I want us
to finish on a high.”
Riga United know the threat of FK Liepāja. This game will
prove a challenge for United but if they can stay disciplined they
are very much in this game. It is no secret Liepāja have 5 of
the top 10 scorers in Latvia and they can score from range.
United have to find a way of forcing Liepāja into playing a
system that they aren’t use to.
United started brightly in Rēzekne and played the ball well. For
determination, the Ladies were faultless but they started to lose
their passing accuracy as the game went on. For United, their
decisions on how to use the ball most effectively will prove
key.
Team news:
Some good news for Justin. He has the largest squad he has
had for some months as players return, including captain Marit
Gjerde. Marit and Liene Vāciete are both joint top scorers
for United and will hope that their chemistry which has been vital
this season can continue. However, the bad news is Anna Bang
and Līga Patupa are out with illness and injury respectively.
Here is what Justin had to say on his team today: “Sadly,
I've lost Anna [Bang] and Līga [Patupa] in the past 24 hours but
that is football. Marit [Gjerde] and Liene [Vāciete] are our joint
top goalscorers so I am looking forward to them both adding to
their totals and a bit of healthy competition at the top end of the
pitch to see who ends up with the top goalscorer award at
tomorrow's end-of-season ceremony.”