For Mikaela Hunt and her Dunedin Technical team mates, tonight is like Christmas Eve for a young child with tomorrow promising to be one of the best days of the year. Technical are set to take on Wellington United in the semi-finals of the Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup and excitement levels are at fever pitch in the south.

“We’ve been talking about it this week as being like Christmas for us,” Hunt explains. “It’s what we’ve been waiting for all year and we can’t sleep at night because we’re so excited. It’s a really big event and we don’t get games this big very often so it’s really important that we do our best.”

Regardless of the result on Saturday, history is set to be made as Dunedin Technical and Wellington United have both not made it to the Kate Sheppard Cup final before. There is therefore guaranteed to be a debut finalist – who will take on either Glenfield Rovers or Forrest Hill Milford United – and Hunt says Technical are desperate to be the ones to write themselves into the record books.

“Last year, we made history by making it to the semi-finals for the first time so this time we’re looking to take it that one step further and go right to the final,” she says. “We’ve got heaps of support from the community, not only in Dunedin but also in Southland and even Christchurch – it feels like everyone is really behind us. It’s a huge thing for us to feel that support.”

Home advantage will go to Wellington United at Newtown Park though and coach Guillermo Schiltenwolf is likewise expecting the locals to get behind his charges.

“It is massive for us and hopefully we get a big crowd,” says Schiltenwolf, who has just led Wellington to an unbeaten title triumph in the W-League – the highest level of female football in the lower North Island.

“In recent years, it has been Upper Hutt City reaching this stage but they then always played away in Auckland. So this is the first time it will be in Wellington for a while and hopefully it will be a massive day for the community, I know the club is working hard towards that.”

Dunedin Technical were also recently crowned champions of their region and, remarkably, have lost only one league match in the last four years. So something will have to give as the two unbeaten records go on the line and, for Wellington native Hunt, the encounter will be extra special.

The defender moved south to attend the University of Otago and has since starred for Southern United in the National Women’s League but retains close ties to her roots in the capital.

“There’s a lot of girls in their team that I’ve played with through school and then senior football and it will be exciting to get to play them again,” she says.

“They’re an awesome side and they’ll definitely pose so many threats, especially up front because we know they have heaps of pace and skill. They’ve scored a boatload of goals this season so we know they’ll be a threat.”

Schiltenwolf hails from Argentina and likes his side to implement the pass-and-move, possession-based style of his homeland. They have already exceeded their own expectations in making it this far so anything further is a bonus.

“At the start of the year, we had a meeting with all of the players and they came up with the goal of reaching the Kate Sheppard Cup semi-finals,” he says.

“We started this six years ago and most of the girls that will play in the semi-final have been with us since they were 14 or 15. They’ve been working really, really hard and I think the main thing is that they’ve kept their feet on the ground and we are all moving in the same direction.”

Both teams have added motivation to lift the most prestigious trophy in female club football. Wellington will draw inspiration by playing in tribute to club stalwart Tim Robertson, who tragically passed away earlier this month after collapsing at a game. Two of Robertson’s six children, Michaela and Jemma, are key members of the Diamonds’ squad.

Meanwhile, long-time Dunedin coach Graeme Smaill – who has masterminded six consecutive league titles in his eight years at the helm – is stepping down at the end of this campaign and wants to end on a high.

“You couldn’t write the script any better if we made it to the final,” Smaill says. “But, even if we don’t, it’s been a great ride and this will be a great way to go out regardless. I know the Tech girls will give everything they have to try and win the game.”

Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup Semi-Finals

Wellington United vs Dunedin Technical
Saturday 25 August, 2pm
Newtown Park, Wellington

Glenfield Rovers vs Forrest Hill Milford United
Sunday 26 August, 2pm
McFetridge Park, Auckland

Article added: Friday 24 August 2018