With one game remaining in the regular season, we remain a mathematical chance to qualify for the 2018/19 Westfield W-League finals series. Currently sitting in fifth position, three-points outside the top-four, we give you the run-down of how our team can make it.
Scenario 1:
First and foremost, we must beat Sydney FC at WIN Stadium on Thursday night to keep our finals hopes alive.
Sydney currently sit on 19-points, three points ahead of us on the league ladder. The Sky Blues current goal difference sits at 11, eight better than ours. So, what exactly does that mean? It means that to qualify directly from a win over Sydney, we must beat our rivals by a minimum of five goals.
You might be wondering why four goals – which will see us level with the Sky Blues on a goal difference of seven – isn’t enough? That’s because our ladder position will then be determined by goals scored, a feat that Sydney leads.
So, with option one, destiny is in our own hands. If we defeat Sydney by five goals or more, we book a place in the top-four.
Scenario 2:
But what if that doesn’t happen? What if we defeat the Sky Blues by a smaller margin, say by three or four goals? That’s when Perth Glory, who also sit on 19-points, comes into play.
In that case, we will need to be seven goals better off than Perth by the completion of Round 14, which relies on the Glory dropping all three points at home. This is because Perth are three points ahead of us and six goals better off in the goal difference sector.
For example, if we beat Sydney FC 4-0 on Thursday, that will take us to 19-points with a goal difference of seven. If that’s the outcome, Perth will need to lose by a margin of three goals, for example a 3-0 loss or 4-1 loss, for us to leapfrog them on the league ladder.
If we do secure the three-points against Sydney, the top-four is guaranteed to be decided by goal difference. A margin of five goals might be a tough ask, but if we’ve learned anything in recent times, it’s that this team is more than capable of pulling off the unthinkable.
