THE turnaround has been close to miraculous.
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From conceding 150 goals two years ago and more than 70 last year, the Myrtleford Savoys women look like a completely different outfit this year.
Their first two rounds ended in 2-1 and 3-0 defeats, but last week they notched up their first win of the season with a 9-0 belting of Albury Hotspurs.
Coach Richard Morgan said the team had started to turn things around towards the end of last season while he was assistant coach under Zac Mirt.
“This year they’ve continued that improvement,” Morgan said.
“They’ve improved greatly on their skills, they’re probably fitter and the team spirit is fantastic.
“The improvement has been amazing and it’s fantastic to see it all coming together.
“They all support one another and they all want to improve, which is fantastic for a coach.”
Morgan said there was a good spread of experience and youth in the team, with plenty of talent coming through the ranks.
“It certainly looks good for the future,” he said.
“There are plenty of high quality girls coming through who are 13 or 14 years old now and in a couple of years are going to be gun players.”
Kathryn Surace bagged a hat-trick against Hotspurs, while German import Mandy Stange, Christina Mancuso and Claire Greene each scored two.
But Morgan said the best of the Savoys was yet to come, with captain Katherine Sylwestrzak due back in the coming weeks along with Steph Harris.
“Katherine is a mainstay of the club,” he said.
“She’s also the captain and the girls really look up to her — she’s a fantastic player and another potential goal scorer.
“But all the girls have come a hell of a long way in a short time and the whole defence has been amazing.
“Looking forward I think it will be more towards the end of the season, but we hope we’ll be pushing some of the top teams harder.”