Adelaide United 1-2 Central Coast Mariners
By Ryan Miller-Woods (20/10/23).
Above: The Mariners have their first win since returning to the league. Photo: A-League Women.
In their second match back in the A-League Women, Central Coast Mariners were deserved winners against Adelaide United.
In the first 10 minutes of the match, Adelaide despite having had 61% of the possession, was an even encounter at that stage as Central Coast had the best chances in attack but was nothing too dangerous for United to deal with.
Adelaide came close to opening the scoring in the 13thminute, with a great pass by Dylan Holmes to Hannah Blake who crossed the ball into the back for Holmesbut, Holmes was only able to toe-poke the ball with her attempt. With more time, it could have been a different story for Adelaide.
Five minutes later, it was Central Coast who came close to scoring via a great no-look pass by Isabel Gomez that found Bianca Galic whose cross in the box for Rola Badawiya was defended well by Zoe Tolland as her intervention prevented Badawiya from having a clear chance at goal.
In the 29th minute, Adelaide had a great opportunity to score as Alana Jancevski provided a great through ball into the box for Rosetta Taylor as Taylor went aroundCourtney Newbon but was denied by a great defensive display by Ash Irwin who put her body on the line to prevent a United goal which saw the match briefly halted as a result.
At the half-hour mark, while neither side had run away with the match, it was the Mariners who had made the more prolific chances that amounted to action within the box but Adelaide led the possession over Central Coast but was a lot closer than earlier in the match.
In the 42nd minute, Central Coast took the lead of the match with a great short corner by Badawiya whose cross first found Jazmin Wardlow as her header bounced off the back of Jenna Holtz and up until the air where Taren King just beat Claudia Jenkins to the ball where her header went directly the back of the net for the opening goal.
It was the Mariners’ first goal in their return campaign to the league and King’s second goal in the A-League Women.
Six minutes into the second half, Central Coast came close to doubling their lead as a great passage of play with Badwiya, Paige Hayward and Wurigumula saw Hayward provide a through ball into the path of Wurigumula in the box but her shot on an angle was blocked by Jenkins.
In the 56th minute, an amazing through ball by Isabel Gomez found Wurigumula in the box who perfectly controlled the ball at her feet as she slotted the ball past Jenkins for Central Coast’s second goal of the match and her first in the league. The one-two by Annabel Martin and Gomez was essential towards the goal being scored.
Twelve minutes later, from an Adelaide corner, they finally got onto the scoresheet with a great build-up in play with a great through ball by Holmes to Sarah Morgan as Morgan’s cross in the box found Ella Tonkin who put the ball into the back of the net for her first A-League Women’s goal.
Towards the end of the match, while Adelaide made some chances down their Central Coast’s end for an equaliser they just weren’t able to convert with a chance by Blake in the 88th minute was their best chance of doing so but was comfortably saved by Newbon.
Teams: ADELAIDE UNITED (4-3-3): Jenkins, E.Hodgson, Tonkin, Tolland, Holtz, Holmes, Morgan, Taylor, Jancevski, Lee, Blake. Substitutes: Wilson, Haffenden, Murray, Panagaris, Wright.
Scorers: Tonkin 68’.
CENTRAL COAST MARINERS (4-4-2): Newbon, Irwin, King, Wardlow, Martin, Hayward, Gomez, Galic, Trimis, Badawiya, Wurigumula. Substitutes: Carmichael, Rasmussen, Karrys-Stahl, Karambasis, Evans.
Scorers: King 43’, Wurigumula 56’.
Referee: Casey Reibelt.
Attendance: TBC.
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