FOOTBALL
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THE Football Federation of Australia (FFA) and the 2014 Westfield National Youth Championships for girls was held at the Coffs Harbour International Stadium from July 7-11.
Chief Executive Officer of FFA David Gallop said while the championships were not the only means of being spotted as a player with potential, this tournament was traditionally an important component of talent identification for young talented players.
With the Westfield Matilda's having recently qualified for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada by virtue of claiming the runners up position at the AFC Women's Asian Cup, Gallop said he was sure players from the championships would go on to represent Australia with distinction in future FIFA Women's World Cup campaigns.
In the 13 girls Group B, the Highlands Georgie Lewis played for NSW Country.
On day one, NSW played Victoria Country in a cliffhanger of a match.
Victoria led 1-0 at half time before NSW drew level 15 minutes into the second half.
With just seconds remaining in the match, the referee awarded Victoria a penalty.
The NSW goalkeeper made a brilliant save and the match finished in a 1-1 draw.
On day two NSW played Northern Territory and NSW finished with a well deserved 3-1 win.
On Day three, NSW played Tasmania and will be remembered as a hard fought match.
Both team's defence played well and neither team could score with the final result 0-0.
NSW played the ACT on day four in the match that would decide the group's winner as both teams were locked on equal points.
The match was locked at 0-0 at half time with both sides missing scoring opportunities.
With the match heading for a draw, a costly slip in defence allowed NSW to score and it held on for the national title with a 1-0 win.
In the final match that counted, Lewis was well and truly back in form and was awarded player of the match.
Coach Glen Steadman and manager William Tan congratulated the girls on winning the title and said the standard of football played was of the highest level.
They also made specific mention of the Northern Territory side as an example of how far girls football in Australia has come.