It was a stuttering preparation for three of the four finals-bound sides in the last round of the NPLW Victoria regular season, while young forward Melina Ayres cemented her rise with another goal for Alamein to seal the league’s Golden Boot.
Her solitary strike in a 1-0 win over Galaxy United, who end the season in fourth after three defeats in their last four games, saw Alamein seal second spot and continue their good form ahead of a blockbuster first final against premiers Calder United.
It was the youngster’s 23rd goal all season, a year that resulted in national team selection and does no harm to her W-League chances.
Alamein go into finals full of confidence on the back of a seven-game winning streak.
Calder, meanwhile, had to twice come back against Southern United, who ended the season as one of the form sides of the competition after also taking points off Galaxy the week prior.
Brittany Dudley-Smith pounced in the first minute, before Rachel Alonso equalised in the 12th. Shaunna Murray saved it to the last game of the season to net her first, but again Calder were back on levels terms via Enza Barilla as both sides ultimately cancelled each other out.
The other top four side, Bulleen Lions, will also have to snap out of a mini-slump come finals after a 1-0 loss to Box Hill United, who will contemplate the season that could have been after defeating the likes of Bulleen and Calder in a decent run of late-season results.
Maren Heller was the sole goalscorer, as Ricardo Martinez will have to fire up the side after consecutive defeats that included a 1-4 result against Calder.
In the final game, Bayside United and Heidelberg United shared the spoils after a 1-1 draw.
Marianna Anthony also netted her first of the year, while Leigh Gray took her tally to 20 to seal a fantastic season and finish second behind Ayres in the Golden Boot race.
The equation means premiers Calder will host second-placed Alamein in one semi-final, while third-placed Bulleen will host Galaxy (fourth) in the other.
The loser of the former will have a second chance in a preliminary final against the winner of the latter to face the winner of the first semi in the grand final.