Thór/KA storm for first Icelandic title
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
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Thór/KA have secured the Icelandic women's title for the first time after an emphatic 9-0 defeat of Selfoss clinched the crown with one game to spare and ensured a European return.
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Thór/KA are Icelandic women's champions for the first time after an emphatic 9-0 defeat of Selfoss in their Akureyri home clinched the crown with one game to spare.
The result took the northern club out of reach of Icelandic Cup winners and title holders Stjarnan, the country's current representatives in the UEFA Women's Champions League which Thór/KA will now enter for the second time in 2013/14. There were hat-tricks from Katrín Ásbjörnsdóttir and Sandra María Jessen, the latter overtaking Valur Reykjavík's Elín Metta Jensen as league top scorer on 17 goals from as many matches.
Jessen said: "I have only thought about the championship, nothing else, but now we have it I will go for the top scorer title. We planned to win this game just like any other, kept to our routine and hoped people would show up at the game – they did, every seat was taken, and my feeling was we had 12 players. We could feel a little bit of tension before the game but in the dressing room we decided not to lose our heads, just be patient, and it worked."
Her side were beaten 2-1 by Stjarnan in the cup semi-finals to dash their double hopes though they overcame the champions twice in the league. "We have dealt with this season one game at a time, nothing more, and managed to stay with that all summer but it was very important to get points from the top teams," Jessen added. "Of course it was disappointing to lose to Stjarnan in the cup semi-finals but our focus was the league title."
Akureyri began investment in a women's team seven years ago and promotion was earned. In the last five years they have been getting closer to the championship, finishing second in 2010 to earn a European campaign in 2011/12, which was ended by 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam in the round of 32.
Now they have become only the eighth champions in the 41st season of Iceland's top women's division, matching a feat that the northern city's male side last achieved in 1989. That team's promotion last weekend has signalled a double celebration for Akureyri.
