Hat-trick Hero Bolden leads the Jets past the Roar
By Callum Logie (17/02/24).
Above: Newcastle Jets’ Sarina Bolden celebrates a goal against the Brisbane Roar. Photo: Liberty A-Leagues
In a season that has not gone to plan for either side, two teams with high hopes of finishing near the top of the table clashed at Maitland Sports Ground on Saturday evening.
The Brisbane Roar came off a valiant fought 3-2 defeat against Western United and are looking to put on some stronger performances defensively to complement the talent of their attackers. The Newcastle Jets also came into the match after a 2-1 loss against Western Sydney and were determined to get back the form that saw them defeat the Phoenix in the round prior.
Brisbane’s starting XI had three changes from their previous fixture. Captain Ayesha Norrie returned to the side, starting as one of the three centre-backs while Rebecca Kirkup got the start on the wing with Deborah-Anne De La Harpe picking up an injury late in the week. Ashlee Brodigan joined the attack with Mariel Hecher moving to the bench.
The Newcastle Jets also made a couple of changes from their previous fixture, with Sophie Hoban moving forward to get the start in place of Mindy Barbieri. Zoe Karapidis moved up into the midfield to allow for Claudia Cicco to return at the back for the Jets.
Newcastle Jets started strong, getting an early chance to the feet of Sarina Bolden who struck wide from inside the box within the first 10 minutes. The sides did look well matched in the early possession encounters, with the home side looking to use their pace when breaking forward.
A coordinated set piece in the 13th minute marked a decent chance for the Brisbane Roar as Brodigan got on the end of a corner routine but Isobel Nino proved equal to the effort. The Jets were looking to press high against the Roar but this did lead to some exposure at the back which granted the Roar some decent territory despite the pressure.
Alex Smith encouraged his team to play a possession based style of football which equated to an impressive 89% passing accuracy stat after 20 minutes for the Roar. This resulted in several entries into the final third but the defence of the jets were able to hold strong and reduce the amount of chances created.
The middle portion of the first half was full of possession contests, predominantly in the Roar’s half as the Jets looked to apply as much pressure as possible. The best chance came in the 35th minute when the Roar did manage to work their way forward and a Mia Corbin cross dangerously looped past Nino who misread the delivery. The ball was cleared intelligently however off the far post to keep the fixture scoreless.
In the 39th minute, the Jets won a corner as dividends for pressing and working the ball forward well. Libby Copus-Brown sent in a dangerous delivery to the edge of the six yard box which found the head of the prolific Bolden who converted into the far corner to give the Jets a lead before half-time.
Newcastle started the second half positively, with the same pace and pressing intensity they brought into the first half. After having managed to bridge the possession gap towards the end of the first half, Newcastle were looking to double their advantage against a dangerous Brisbane side.
The first quality chance of the second half did fall in favour of the Roar however as Tameka Yallop won the ball in the attacking third and took a low driven shot from outside the box which was saved by Nino to her left. A point of emphasis for Brisbane in the second half was getting Yallop more involved as she had a very quiet first half.
The game really opened up in the second half as the dangerous winger Lauren Allen worked her way forward down the right side. She set up a ground pass to the edge of the box which was struck well by Bolden but directed wide by the defence.
The Roar were looking much more purposeful when they got on the ball, playing a lot more forward passes and focusing more on creating chances rather than merely keeping possession. This led to a Norrie free kick in the 53rd minute which grazed the crossbar on the way over from long distance.
Isobel Nino showed great command of her box, not allowing substitute Hecher or Corbin to create anything threatening as she confidently collected and allowed the attackers to press before calmly distributing.
A significant chance did fall the way of the roar at the 35th minute when an inspired run from Sharn Freier led to a Kirkup strike which was deflected to Corbin who was unable to equalise thanks to a terrific recovery from Nino.
After Brisbane kept piling on the pressure through the second half, a quick break forward instigated by Lorena Baumann at 76 minutes released Bolden into a one-on-one situation with Silkowitz and the Philippines international converted clinically to double their advantage.
Just a minute later, Bolden sealed her hat-trick in a similar but albeit more difficult breakaway. Substitute Lara Gooch played the ball forward to Bolden who took on a determined Norrie. While getting a slight step thanks to her pace, Bolden struck across goal to convert her hat-trick thanks to a friendly bounce of the post to finish up what was a perfect day for the Newcastle forward.
From there, the Jets did not lift their foot off the gas pedal as Bolden had another chance in the 83rd minute. She got onto the end of a good cross but headed the ball over the bar to keep her tally at three for the game.
This game was much closer than the score suggests, with it being in the balance right up until Bolden took it away from the Roar in the second half. A world class quality player can do that to a team and Bolden managed to show her class here in what’s been a terrific season for the forward.
In a summary of Brisbane’s game and to an extent their season, Corbin hit the crossbar in the 94th minute of the game to mark the final chance for the unfortunate visitors.
NEWCASTLE JETS (4-4-3): Nino, Baumann, Prior, Cicco, Karipidis, Dundas, Copus-Brown, Davis, Hoban, Bolden, L.Allan Substitutes: Dunbar, Barbieri, Gooch, J. Allan, Wilson
Scorers: Bolden 39′, 77′ 78′.
Teams: BRISBANE ROAR (3-4-3): Silkowitz, McQueen, McCormick, Norrie, Freier, Woods, Yallop, Kirkup, Brodigan, Corbin, Stephenson. Substitutes: Richards, Levin, Palmer, Davies, Hecher
Referee: Beth Rattray
Attendance: TBC
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