Central Coast Mariners 1-2 Western Sydney Wanderers
By Kieran Yap 22/1/24
Above: Wanderers players celebrate the Mariners own goal that saw them win the game. Photo: Western Sydney Wanderers
The Western Sydney Wanderers are up to fourth on the ladder after Holly Caspers and Maliah Morris secured a 2-1 win away against The Mariners.
Central Coast took to the field for the second time this week, and hosted Western Sydney with hopes of repeating their win against Sydney FC on Wednesday. The drama of that epic contest was largely absent, although this one was tense and not without controversy.
The Mariners welcomes back Casey Dumont to the field after being withdrawn midway through Wednesday’s game. Chloe Louise Carmichael came in as the substitute keeper meaning that Ash Irwin was allowed to return to her preferred position of centre back. The Wanderers named an unchanged lineup.
Western Sydney found themselves in the unfamiliar position of having most of the early possession. Their best chances still came from counter attacks with Cushla Rue and Morris enjoying plenty of space with Sophie Harding being tightly marked but remaining busy. However, it was the home side that fashioned the best chances in the first half hour with Wurigumula firing wide from the edge of the box and Jazmin Wardlow’s close range header coming close.
Morris was the Wanderers most dangerous attacking outlet and was millimeters away from scoring when her shot clipped the crossbar after she burst into the penalty area. The game was quickly becoming and end-to end affair.
Holly Caspers opened the scoring in the 43rd minute after ghosting behind the defence and finishing off a brilliant Alexia Apostolakis through ball. There was a strong hint of offside about it, but the finish was enough to beat Dumont and the pass-through traffic was perfectly placed by Apostolakis.
The Mariners are no strangers to adversity this week and were not about to let their heads drop from a contentious goal. They hit back immediately after half time through Isabel Gomez’s thunderous strike. The midfielder found the bottom corner after a corner was cleared by Kaylee Collins but fell to an unmarked Gomez. There was still plenty for her to do and she struck the half volley through the crowded penalty area to level the scores.
Ash Irwin ignited the home crowd with a long range effort that hit the woodwork. The defender-turned goalkeeper has now shown off her full array of skills this wee after intercepting the ball at halfway, taking a few strides forward and then unleashing an attempt that had Collins beaten but not the crossbar.
The eventual winner came through another sweeping move by Western Sydney, Morris received the ball wide on the right and tried to send it back across goal. The cross took a light but vital deflection off Wardlow to put it past Dumont and make it 2-1. Despite The Mariners best and repeated efforts they could not find the equalizer. Wurigumula spurned their clearest chance after Peta Trimis cut the ball back to her with only Collins to beat.
The loss must be a hard one for Central Coast to swallow. Playing twice in a week is not easy, and after the adrenaline of Wednesday night’s classic they put in another strong performance against The Wanderers. However, vital things did not fall their way on this occasion and fortune was not on their side. Nevertheless, they created a flurry of chances and kept a settled and defensively confident Wanderers side on high alert for much of the evening. If they play like this every week they will win more than they lose.
Western Sydney are up to fourth and have a game in hand. We are just over half way through the season so there is plenty of football left, but Robbie Hooker’s team is playing with an air of confidence that makes them look organized and feel dangerous.
They were able to fashion a win without a Sophie Harding goal, though the star forward was vital in opening up space for her teammates and holding possession to help switch play. Holly Caspers now has two goals in as many games and Apostolakis continues her impressive form in midfield.
They host Brisbane Roar next week in what will be an intriguing battle between two sides that play a similar styler. Central Coast will make the short trip to face Newcastle Jets in an important showdown between seventh and eighth.
Teams:
Central Coast Mariners 4-3-2-1: Dumont (GK, Bryson, Irwin, Karambasis, Wardlow, Hayward, Gomez, Galic, Trimis, Badawiya, Wurigumula. Substitutes: Martin, Rasmussen, Karrys-Stahl, Evans, Carmichael.
Scorers: Gomez 48’
Western Sydney Wanderers 3-4-1-2: Collins (GK), McComansky, Harrison, Bruce, Rue, Apostolakis, Price, Matos, Caspers, Morris, Harding. Substitutes: Ferris, Caceras, Breier, Younis, Segavcic.
Scorers: Caspers 43’ Wardlow (og) 54’
Referee: Rebecca Durcau
Attendance: TBC
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