The Gap FC are inaugural PlayStation® 4 NPL Queensland Women’s Premiers, sealing the silverware in style with a 9-0 win over SWQ Thunder at Clive Berghofer Stadium.
Five first-half goals started the party early as Gators secured the title by a single point from Palm Beach SC and Eastern Suburbs FC.
The Brisbane side hasn’t looked back since suffering consecutive defeats in April, compiling an unbeaten run of 13 matches and conceding only three goals in that time.
Victory was required to sew up top spot in Toowoomba and Gators proved their class by dominating from start to finish.
Midfielder Ruth Blackburn and substitute Bethany Ashton both grabbed doubles while Westfield W-League winner Gabe Marzano consistently threatened.
Gators coach Rob Askew lauded his team’s “historic” achievement and pointed to their Round 9 defeat as sparking the reversal.
“That 4-2 loss against Peninsula Power was the turning point for us. It was a real low moment, we had players in tears after that game,” Askew said.
“It resulted in a lot of soul searching.
“We had problems obviously, we had opponents who had worked out aspects of the way we play and (were) exploiting it.
“But we didn’t abandon the philosophy either. Our focus was then to get better at what we did and I think we have done that spectacularly.”
While believing The Gap’s star-studded squad can now relax after achieving its primary objective, Askew is no less determined to do the double in the six-team Finals Series.
“It’s a great thing to have our name on this trophy and it would be a wonderful thing to have our name on that trophy as well,” he said.
“We’re really committed to achieving that.”
The PlayStation® 4 NPL Queensland Senior Women’s Finals Series commences on the weekend of 22 August, with the first Grand Final qualifier to be decided when The Gap host runners-up Palm Beach SC.