The Southern United women's team will be looking to get back on winning track after a disappointing Labour Weekend.
The side fell to back-to-back defeats to title contenders Canterbury United Pride, losing 2-0 at home last Saturday, followed by a narrow 3-2 defeat at English Park in Christchurch on Monday.
The team is hitting the road again, this time to Palmerston North, to take on Central tomorrow, and will be looking for a full three points in order to stay in contention for a spot in the final.
Southern played Central in the opening game of the 2019 season and had an impressive and comfortable 6-0 win, with its goals coming from six different players.
But the North Island team had a full weekend's rest last weekend, while Southern played two games in the space of three days.
The Dunedin-based side sits on 10 points, fourth-equal with Capital. Central are still yet to get off the mark.
Head coach Ignacio Sande is hopeful his team will recover well from its past two games and gain another three points from the opposition, but is wary of underestimating Central.
"Central are still a strong team, so we can't think it is an easy win. But I know we can definitely aim to pull off a similar result to the start of the season," he said.
One of Southern's standout players so far this season, Ruby Anderson, was not included in Monday's match-day squad after suffering a slight calf strain.
She could be back in Sande's starting side tomorrow though to help her team secure a win.
The second-placed Northern Lights have the bye this weekend, which means Southern has the chance to close the gap in hopes of securing the second spot in the final.
The Pride has almost guaranteed a spot in the final after snatching all six points from Southern United.
The game kicks-off at 11am tomorrow.
- By Holly Percival
