Wellington Phoenix 1-1 Newcastle Jets
by Alice de Koster-Kitto (16/11/25)
Above: Newcastle Jets’ Claudia Cicco (white shirt) battles for possession at Wellington Phoenix today. Photo: Ryan Imray for Impetus.
Wellington Phoenix and Newcastle Jets have shared the points in a 1-1 draw at Porirua Park this afternoon. The result marks the first draw in the fixture’s history, and sets both sides on an unbeaten streak, with it being the Nix’s second draw of the season.
The first shot on goal came early for Wellington Phoenix, with a long-range strike from 17-year-old Pia Volk, who made her starting debut in the match. It was a string strike that set the Nix up for an excellent match ahead; however, the ball went just over the crossbar.
It was only moments after Volk’s strike, however, that the scoring was opened by Wellington, as the ball was slid in by Brooke Nunn, assisted by Volk. There was a good attempt at defence from Lauren Allan; however, she couldn’t get to the ball quite in time, and Wellington took the lead just five minutes into play.
The hosts continued to dominate, staying in the attacking end following their lead, as the Jets didn’t seem to fight back immediately, leaving Victoria Esson with little to do in goal.
Lara Wall skipped past the Jets’ defence in an attempt to pass the ball through just to the side of the box; however, she couldn’t find a teammate. The chance did, however, unnerve the Jets even further, as a second goal for the hosts seemed inevitable.
The Jets began to take a bit more of the possession as the first half went on, while Wellington continued to take the chances, as Newcastle still wasn’t able to get the ball in their attacking end.
The 23rd minute saw the visitors get a chance to equalise, earning a penalty kick as Mackenzie Barry conceded a foul against Lauren Allan, during the Jets’ first real venture into the attack.
Melina Ayres took the penalty, striking the ball as Esson dived the wrong way, and the ball hit the back of the net, putting the visitors back in the game.
Wellington had a huge opportunity to reclaim the lead when CJ Bott crossed the ball to Grace Jale, who attempted a strike, but the ball rebounded, and the score remained the same.
As the first half was coming to an end, the possession started to even out, and Newcastle had their first few chances; however, they still struggled to turn them into any real opportunities to take the lead.
The 39th minute saw Ayres make a run, attempting to strike just outside the box, but a lack of power and a save by Esson kept the score even. Shortly after, there was another strong attempt from Lauren Allan, who swung past the Nix defense, but ultimately, the ball was too wide.
After two minutes of added time, there were no further goals to be found, leaving the scoreline even at the break.
Wellington Phoenix got the second half underway, immediately taking possession. An early chance from CJ Bott could have seen the hosts take the lead, if not for one of several excellent saves by Anna Leat. Newcastle then saw a shot from Emma Dundas fly just over the bar.
There was some early drama in the box, as Brooke Nunn went for her second goal of the afternoon in a battle with Anna Leat, who blocked Nunn from being able to take the shot.
The Nix got dangerously close to taking the lead with an excellent shot from Alyssa Whinham. The strike, however powerful, could not make it past Anna Leat, who made an impressive save at the top corner of the box.
There was a significant delay in play as Alyssa Whinham went down injured after an awkward fall. Play continued after a few minutes, with Wellington down to 10 players while Whinham was undergoing medical assessment and subsequently had to leave the field.
Kelly Brown earned a free kick for Newcastle Jets, giving her side a great opportunity to take the lead, until the ball curved just outside the post.
The match sped up in the final minutes of play, with some dangerous balls at both ends, and the Jets taking over possession at the end. Despite the chaos of the clash, neither side was able to make anything of their opportunities, after 6 minutes of additional time, leaving the score even at the whistle.
Newcastle Jets will host Western Sydney Wanderers in round four, in their first home match of the season, while Wellington Phoenix will stay at home to host Melbourne Victory.
Check out our Instagram page – @ImpetusFootball for Ryan Imray’s EXCLUSIVE photo gallery from the game, along with Ryan Miller-Woods’ gallery from Sydney FC v Perth Glory, and Adrian Geremia at Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners.
WELLINGTON PHOENIX (4-4-2): Esson, van der Meer, Barry, Walker, Wall, Jale, Middang, Bott, Nunn, Whinham, Bhandari. Substitutes: Danieli, Elliott, McMillon, D. Brazendale, Ingham, L. Brazendale.
Scorer: Nunn 4’.
NEWCASTLE JETS (4-3-2-1): Leat, Wilson, Prior, Cicco, L.Allan, Lancaster, Dundas, Adams, Copus-Brown, J.Allan, Ayres. Substitutes: Ritchie, Page, Breier, Karipidis, Adams, Brown.
Scorer: Ayres 23’ (pen).
Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley.
Attendance: 1,292.
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