Wellington Phoenix 2-4 Sydney FC
by Jonathon Hagger (17/3/24)
Above: Cortnee Vine celebrates earlier today. Her brace set Sydney FC on the way to victory in Wellington. Photo: Sydney FC.
Hot in the back off of a Wellington Phoenix women’s away win in Perth, the Phoenix women returned home to play Sydney FC in front of a rowdy home crowd at Jerry Collins Stadium.
With Sydney FC heavily favoured to be this season’s A-League champions, the Phoenix found themselves in a David vs Goliath size challenge. While the visitors did not have the luxury of having their Under 20 Australian representative players available, they were still able to field an incredible assortment of extremely talented footballers in the front, mid, and backfield.
From the kickoff, Sydney showed how and why they are challenging at the top once more. Speed, keeping possession, a high percentage of completed passes and relentlessly hunting for the opening goal. Both teams traded goal-scoring opportunities.
However it was Sydney’s first opportunity in the seventh minute that really put the Phoenix on notice. The Phoenix defenders sat on their heels and allowing Tallon-Henniker to run with ease which eventuated with a shot on goal that Phoenix keeper Rylee Foster was able to tidy up.
At the other end of the pitch, the Phoenix strung together a number of high quality short passes that cut the Sydney defence into smithereens. The Robertson-Whitman-Fraser combination was ferocious but unable to get a much-needed goal. Unfortunately, Sydney’s quality player, Kirsty Fenton, exited the match in the 14th minute after wrenching her knee. A trip to Wellington Hospital via ambulance for a scan will hopefully come back clear.
The 17th minute saw Matildas superstar Cortnee Vine put the visitors ahead as she drilled the ball into the Phoenix goal off a beautifully placed corner kick from Mackenzie Hawkesby. A cleanly kicked torpedo beat Rylee Foster dicing to her right but the accelerating ball whistled past her outstretched hands.
While a lot of the Phoenix plays appeared to be disjointed, Speckmaier showed fleet-footedness in the 27th minute, allowing the ball to run through her stance thereby bamboozling the Sydney defenders, and reminded Whyman that she always poses a threat.
Fast forward to the 41st minute and Sydney FC doubled their goal tally as the Phoenix defenders let Hawkesby slide a wayward pass across the Phoenix goalmouth which connected with the boot of defender Tiana Jaber resulting in a totally unexpected own goal.
The Phoenix are not a team to give up and in the 47th minute, slide passes from Fraser to Whinham then on to Breslin was converted into a shot on goal from a long way out. But to beat a keeper of Whyman’s quality required a much better shot than what Breslin offered up.
The first half ended at 2-0 with Sydney clearly being the better side. Vine’s goal-scoring prowess, Hawkesby’s quality set pieces, and the defensive abilities of Sydney’s midfield closing down the Phoenix attacking threat deservedly had them ahead on the scoreboard.
With the chance to go top of the table, Sydney launched their second half in the same way they finished the first half. Full on energy. Ante Juric’s side demonstrated they certainly aren’t a one-trick pony as attacker Shea Connors weaved her way into a shooting position in the 47th minute and was only denied a goal through a brilliant tackle. Tunmeth, Chauvet, and Lemon also put on a show of classy ball skills.
The Phoenix were not going to give up and this was demonstrated through the midfield players of Whinham, Fraser, and Speckmaier going to work. The small ball style of play that Phoenix coach Paul Temple has used as the go-to strategy throughout the season was truly demonstrated as being effective.
Phoenix defender Mackenzie Barry doesn’t get many yellow cards and the tackle that earned the card in the 55th minute, carried through to the sloppy defending of the resulting kick which found an unmarked Vine directly in front of the Phoenix goal and with a deft touch of her head, Sydney went up 3-0.
Yet again, where other teams would drop their heads and concede defeat that was not to be for the Phoenix. From the restart, the midfield threw themselves into the play pressed with significant force looking for goals. The injection of supersub, Isabel Cox really caught Sydney unawares resulting in some fantastic attacking soirées. The second of two corner kicks delivered by Macey Fraser found the forehead of Cox whose height beat Whyman and scored the Phoenix first for the afternoon in the 63rd minute.
It was Cox again who would set up the second the 70th minute. A spliced save by the Whyman landed at the feet of the season’s leading goal scorer Speckmaier, who brilliantly executed a shot into the net.
The fourth and final goal of the match came in the 74th goal with Thompson drilling home the fourth after the Phoenix defence failed to clear their lines.
Kate Taylor showed everyone how big a loss she has been through her being unavailable due to injury for the past month. Her deftness on the ball, timing of passes, and vision around the pitch put the Phoenix in a strong scoring position in the 75th minute with their unleashing repeated waves of attack towards the Sydney goal.
Even though they were down by two goals, the Phoenix continued to press on and in the 93rd minute, Taylor beat Hawkesby, running around her from the right-hand edge deep in Sydney’s half who then passed the ball to Errington but the shot was knocked away by Whyman.
This match was won by the Sydney FC midfielders of which Taylor Ray was a standout contributor. With accurate passes and strong pressing, she was able to disrupt the Phoenix flow of play. Ray will be a key player in Sydney’s finals run.
For the home side, Helena Errington came into the match quite late as a substitute player. In her limited minutes, she got herself into goal-scoring positions and made an incredible number of accurate passes. Hannah Wilkinson, the Football Ferns incumbent striker, needs to watch out because Errington is coming.
Sydney demonstrated poise and composure throughout the entire match. Whilst the Phoenix repeatedly tested the visitors’ strategic plays, they came up short-handed. The defining difference between the two teams was the Phoenix players not quite being able to be fully engaged for the entire 90 minutes.
Small pockets of inattention and a drop in communication gave Sydney opportunities which they put away. Small lapses of concentration ultimately cost Wellington in the end result.
Teams: WELLINGTON PHOENIX (3-4-2-1): Foster, Barry, Foster, Fraser, Jaber, Breslin, Whinham, Brazendale, Robertson, Speckmaier, Elliot. Substitutes: Feinberg-Danieli, McMeeken (77’), Taylor (59’), Errington (68’), Cox (59’).
Scorers: Cox 63’, Speckmaier 70’.
SYDNEY FC (4-3-3). Mathyssen-Whyman, Fenton, Thompson, McLean, Tunmeth, Hawkesby, Ray, Chauvet, Lemon, Vine, Tallon-Henniker. Substitutes: Black, Malone (90+1’), Saveska (90+1’), Keane (63’), Connors (14’).
Scorers: Vine 18’, 55’. Jaber (OG) 42’, Thompson 74’.
Attendance: 1,040.
Referee: Bec Mackie.
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