Lions FC have completed an historic NPL Queensland double after taking out both Men’s and Women’s Grand Finals on Saturday at Perry Park.
Nathan Reardon scored the only goal in the Men’s Grand Final to hand Lions a 1-0 win over Olympic FC and complete a fairytale finish to his career.
The veteran midfielder revealed before the game that it would be his last at this level and it was fitting that he signed off a winner.
Reardon fired home the decisive goal not long after the interval, adding to his crucial strikes against Olympic in the 2018 decider and their Semi Final meeting in 2019.
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It seemed as though there might be a turning point for Ben Cahn’s men when Lachlan Hunter kept out a Jean Carlos Solorzano penalty, but it wasn’t to be for the regular season runners-up.
The win wrapped up a dream day for Lions, who also triumphed in the NPL Queensland Women’s Grand Final.
The Richlands club clinched back-to-back NPL Women’s Grand Final victories with a well-earned 4-0 win over Logan Lightning at Perry Park on Saturday.
Last season’s Champions took an early lead through star forward Mariel Hecher and never looked back.
Tegan Riding guided home a glancing header to double the margin and Chelsea Blissett converted a spot-kick shortly after half-time to all but wrap up the result.
Blissett later doubled her tally with a fine individual effort that added polish to the scoreline for Lions.
The results mark the first time a club has won both senior NPL Grand Finals in the same season in Queensland.
Feature image courtesy of Lions FC & Ian Judd / Aqua PD
