SSFC Women suffer NERWFL League Cup Final heartbreak against Leeds Modernians

South Shields Women suffered heartbreak in the NERWFL League Cup Final against Leeds Modernians Women in spite of a courageous performance on Sunday.

Right from the very first whistle, the Mariners were eager to score, creating a huge chance in the opening minutes, Tara Flaherty the one to deny what could have been an early breakthrough.

However, just six minutes into the tie, it was Shameeka Fishley who opened the scoring. 

Leeds Mods, then, doubled their lead late into the second-half - Crystal Boyce tucked away inside the box.

Ahead of Sunday’s final, Shields should have been confident given how dominant their League Cup run had been.

Their previous outing was a defeat, however one that they could look back on with pride, a ten-goal thriller, and scoring four goals in a defeat is something they could take into the Final, knowing that no matter the task at hand, they can score goals.

The whistle blew, the final was underway, and immediately the Mariners looked threatening, creating a chance in the opening seconds - Hill came close after a fizzing cross by Bouggess.

Despite this positive start, unfortunately the opener soon came for Leeds Mods. 

Caitlyn Atkin drove into the Mariners’ box and initially lost the ball, thanks to Jen Wootten’s interception, however the ball fell perfectly for Fisher to tuck it away. 

Soon after, this valiant Shields side came close to an equaliser thanks to some wonderful play from Madison Bouggess.

The tricky winger bombed down the left side before cutting in and arrowing a precise cross into Tianna Hill, who couldn’t manage to get the header at goal. 

Shields' next chance, then, again fell to Hill, and this time the powerful striker had won herself a spot-kick to pull the game level. 

However, Flaherty guessed right, meaning the Mariners would continue to fight their way back into the game. 

The second-half began, and similar to the first, Shields were dominating possession, however struggling to get the ball into the net. 

Despite what was looking like a great performance from Shields, luck was not on their side as they saw a second goal scored by Leeds Mods, an extremely scrappy finish from Boyce with a handful of minutes remaining.

The two-goal deficit was too much for the lasses to claw back with so little time left, and Leeds Modernians lifted the NERWFL League Cup, which brought to an end a challenging, but otherwise still memorable, 2025/26 campaign.

South Shields Women: Yeakey, Simpson, May, Robinson, Killeen, Wootten, McMahon, Hoot, Bouggess, Hill, Raffel.

Substitutes: Graham, Pine, Scarpiello (all played), Miller (did not play).

Leeds Modernians Women: Flaherty, Gray, Garbutt, Cromack, Barkley, Glynn, Moorhouse, Baxter, Greig, Atkin, Fishley.

Substitutes: Robson-Owen, Boyce, Power, Whittle, Hinchliffe.

Goals: Fishley (6’), Boyce (87’).