Cowra Senior Soccer Club’s Women’s A Grade side has fallen agonisingly short of securing a third consecutive premiership, with a dramatic grand final comeback ultimately ending in the heartbreak of a penalty shootout.

After entering the decider with the opportunity to complete a remarkable three-peat, Cowra found themselves facing a daunting 3-0 deficit before producing a determined fightback that briefly put them ahead 4-3.

Team manager Courtney Booth said the comeback demonstrated the heart within a side that had been forced to overcome challenges throughout the entire 2026 season.

“After coming back from a 3-0 deficit, the team showed a lot of heart and played extremely well to get back to a 4-3 advantage at one point,” Booth said.

It was a turnaround that kept Cowra’s hopes of another premiership alive, but the contest eventually progressed to penalties, where the drama continued.

Cowra suffered another major setback when goalkeeper Linda was forced out with a broken wrist after saving the first penalty.

“Unfortunately it was won and lost in a penalty shootout, which is never a way you want to lose a grand final,” Booth said.

“We lost our goalkeeper Linda to a broken wrist after she saved the first penalty, which was hard, and Karly stepped up to fill in in her absence and did a great job given the circumstances.”

Karly Woods was suddenly handed the difficult task of taking over in goal during the most pressure filled stage of the season.

Despite the disruption, Cowra continued to fight before ultimately falling short in the shootout, bringing an end to their hopes of making it three premierships in succession.

For a group that had invested so much into reaching another decider, Booth said the disappointment was understandably difficult for the players to take.

"The girls took it hard, but that just shows how much they care and how much they wanted it,” she said.

Despite the emotion surrounding the result, Booth was particularly proud of the way the Cowra players conducted themselves after the loss, highlighting the “class and respect” shown by the team.

The defeat may have denied Cowra a third straight title, but reaching the grand final itself represented a significant achievement for a side which entered 2026 looking considerably different from the premiership winning teams of previous seasons.

Cowra had lost a number of its regular players from the previous two years, leaving the squad to rebuild combinations while attempting to remain among the competition’s leading sides.

“The 2026 season wasn’t an easy one,” Booth said.

“Ultimately we were rebuilding after losing quite a lot of our regular players from the last two seasons, so it wasn’t an easy one for sure, but the girls fought hard to make it to the end.”

That fight had been evident throughout Cowra’s finals campaign.

After finishing the regular season strongly enough to earn another opportunity in the finals, the women were defeated 2-1 by Waratah White in the major semi-final.

It left Cowra needing to take the longer route to the decider, with the side then overcoming Barnestoneworth United in the preliminary final to secure a third consecutive grand final appearance.

Having already won the previous two premierships, another victory would have completed the three-peat.

Instead, Cowra was forced to chase the game after falling three goals behind in the decider.

Rather than allowing the deficit to end their hopes, the players responded with four goals of their own, turning what appeared to be a grand final slipping away into a contest they were suddenly leading.

It was a fitting demonstration of the resilience that had carried the rebuilt side through the season.

The eventual shootout loss means Cowra will not add a third consecutive premiership to its record in 2026, but the season still provided plenty for the club to take forward.

A team which had lost several established players regrouped, built new combinations and fought its way through the finals to stand on the grand final stage once again.

And while the immediate memories of the decider will inevitably include the disappointment of penalties, an injured goalkeeper and a three-peat that came painfully close, Booth said the reaction of the players showed just how much representing Cowra meant to them.

From three goals down to a 4-3 lead, and from a rebuilding year to another grand final appearance, Cowra’s women refused to let their title go without a fight.