Brisbane Roar 0-1 Western United
by Ben Carey at Ballymore Stadium (19/11/23).
Above: Brisbane Roar’s Sharn Freier and Western United’s Alana Cerne challenge for the ball. Photo: Western United.
Western United recorded a tight 1-0 win over Brisbane Roar on a warm, overcast Sunday afternoon in the Sunshine State.
The match was the second that the Roar have played at Ballymore Stadium, and the atmosphere was fantastic. There was a healthy crowd of 2,486 people, a fair bit lower than the record-breaking home game against Sydney FC last month, but still a considerable step up from the average of 900 or so who attended home matches last season.
The Roar came out guns blazing. For almost 10 minutes they had the lion’s share (pun intended) of the possession, their passing was quick and accurate, and their attacking intentions were clear. There was some very good build-up play, but no final product.
Western United’s first dangerous attempt on goal came from a beautiful link-up between Matildas legend, Chloe Logarzo, and last season’s Golden Boot winner, Hannah Keane. But Brisbane Roar keeper, Jordan Silkowitz, pulled out a top-drawer save to keep the visitors scoreless.
A minute later, Lorgazo whipped in a corner kick that caused a chaotic scramble in the box. Kahli Johnson made an attempt on goal that Silkowitz appeared to have miraculously cleared from the ground. What followed was deep confusion from every player on the field and everyone in the stands.
Silkowitz grabbed the ball and placed it in front of her to take a free kick, but many of the players had returned to the centre for a kick-off, suggesting that the ball had crossed the line and Western United had scored a goal. The crowd remained confused because there was no announcement over the loudspeaker.
From that point on Western United looked the stronger of the two sides, dominating possession and creating dangerous chances up the Roar’s end of the field. But Brisbane was able to shut down most of these attacks in the midfield or in the backline. The Roar also launched a few good attacks themselves, however, none of them amounted to much.
In the 85th minute, a weak header clearance from a Roar player fell to Keane, who blazed into the box and whipped a wicked cross to Johnson who took a first-time shot at goal, but Silkowitz made a spectacular, point-blank diving save to deny her.
A minute later, up the other end of the pitch, Tameka Yallop was fouled right on the edge of the box. The crowd thought it might be a penalty for a few moments, but instead it was a free kick.
The Roar fought hard right to the death, with late substitutes Hannah Holgersen and Rebecca Kirkup injecting a new energy into Brisbane’s front line. There was also a lot of promising buildup play from Mia Corbin, Sharn Freier, and Yallop, but still no final product. Western United were able to close out the game for a 1-0 win.
Brisbane Roar showed moments of promise during the match, but they were often too slow and didn’t have much intent or accuracy with their passing, which resulted in giving away possession very cheaply. Players like Freier and Corbin were often able to make good runs down the side and through the middle respectively, but there was never anyone there in support, so the attacks always fizzled out.
Part of this is probably due to having so many young and inexperienced players in the squad, and part of it is perhaps a result of playing their first game under the newly appointed head coach, Alex Smith.
Western United put in a good team effort to grab the win. Julia Sardo and Grace Maher were very solid in the backline, and Johnson was menacing up front. Last season’s Goalkeeper of the Year, Hilary Beall put in a good shift as well, although she didn’t have a whole lot of work to do.
It was Beall’s first game back with the club after warming the bench in the NWSL for her club Racing Louisville. Well, if the NWSL won’t recognise her immense talent, the A-League certainly will. What a blessing she will be to Western United for the rest of the season.
Teams: BRISBANE ROAR (5-4-1): Silkowitz, Scarpelli, McCormick, Stephenson, Blissett, McQueen, Thompson, Norrie, Palmer, Freier, Corbin. Substitutes: K. Richards, Yallop, Brodigan, Kirkup, Holgersen.
Teams: WESTERN UNITED (4-2-3-1): Beall, Sardo, Cerne, Maher, Papadopoulos, Sawicki, M. Taranto, L. Richards, Logarzo, Johnson, Keane. Substitutes: Dall’Oste, Dakic, Hieda, Robers, A. Taranto.
Scorers: Johnson 10’.
Referee: Rebecca Durcau.
Attendance: 2,486
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