GOLDEN NIGHT FOR MERMAIDS AT AYWPC FINAL

It was a golden night in the pool for Brisbane’s Mermaid Water Polo Club, with Head Coach Nicola Johnson leading both the U14 and U18 Women’s side to gold medal victories.

The home crowd support spurred both sides to great wins and while the U14s dominated their final, the U18s had a battle on their hands against a strong Drummoyne Devils outfit.

There was rarely a moment throughout the game where there was more than two goals in it, with both teams coming into the game evenly matched up.

Mermaids had a small 3-2 lead at half time but it was the Devils who had one up heading into the final quarter, leading 6-5.

The Mermaids managed to fight their way back and hold on to their lead in the dying seconds to win 10-9.

Mermaid Captain Kasey Dalziel was thrilled her team were able to claim the stunning win in front of their family and friends.

“It’s awesome, I’m so happy. I’ve never won a National Championship before, it just feels so good to finally win one," she said.

“I believed in all the girls, I knew we could do it, but just the fact we finally got here and did it.”

Head Coach Nicola Johnson was proud of both her sides and the whole Club for what they’ve managed to develop.

“It’s unbelievable, I never ever thought that would happen. Our aim was top four in both 14’s and 18’s, and to come away with two wins is just amazing.

“In the U18s I really thought we’d have a tough game against Drummoyne, which we did. They're big, they're strong, they're physical… but our girls kept their composure.

“Heading into the final quarter I said to girls, ‘you’ve worked so hard for this… give it seven minutes, play your game and it will happen’…. and it did.

“They played their game and didn’t get sucked into what the defence wanted them to do," she said.

In the bronze medal match for the U18 Women's, UTS Blamain Tigers claimed an exciting 16-15 penalty shoot out victory after full time scores were locked at 9-9 against Brisbane Barracudas .

For full results – visit the Match Centre.

Want to watch the game? Catch the game in full on OVO Play.

2019 18&U WOMEN'S AUSTRALIAN YOUTH WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIPS STANDINGS:

Gold - Mermaids
Silver - Drummoyne
Bronze - UTS Balmain Tigers
4 - Barras
5 - SNB Breakers
6 - Triton
7 - UNSW Killer Whales
8 - Melville
9 - Sydney Uni Lions
10 - ACU Cronulla Sharks
11 - All Hallows
12 - UWA Bears
13 - Tamworth/Central Coast
14 - Adelaide Jets