Melbourne Victory 0-0 Sydney FC
by Ella McShane (25/1/26)
Above: Skye Halmarick gets a shot away for Sydney FC today. Photo: Sydney FC.
Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory’s hopes of cementing a place in the top six took a hit as the pair played out their first ever goalless draw today at The Home of the Matildas.
The opening ten minutes were played at high intensity, with both sides moving the ball swiftly from box to box and keeping their opponents under constant pressure. Sydney FC came close to opening the scoring inside the first five minutes from a corner, but Victory captain Kayla Morrison produced a crucial headed clearance to deny an early breakthrough.
Victory midfielders Sophia Sakalis and Siena Saveska were influential throughout the first half, combining footwork and composure in possession to help the home side build sustained and confident passages of play. The pair linked up on multiple occasions in and around the penalty area, applying consistent pressure to the Sky Blues’ defensive line.
Both goalkeepers delivered assured performances. Victory’s Courtney Newbon was called into action early, reacting sharply to a driven long ball from Amelia Cassar and parrying it safely away from danger. At the other end, Heather Hinz remained composed and alert, commanding her area under pressure.
As the first half progressed, Victory found success down the flanks, with Holly Furphy dominating the wing under her jurisdiction and delivering a series of clean, threatening balls into the box.
Sydney FC emerged from the break with renewed momentum, re-establishing a fast box-to-box tempo. Sakalis continued to pose a significant attacking threat in the second half, registering multiple attempts on goal and drawing immediate defensive attention whenever she was in possession.
Tensions rose as the match entered its final stages. A challenge from Sydney midfielder Hana Lowry resulted in a Victory free kick that was ultimately cleared from a crowded penalty area. Willa Pearson was shown a yellow card in the 69th minute, followed by Saveska receiving a booking ten minutes later.
Again the heat in victory’s favoured end of the pitch, forced Sydney FC into a series of defensive interventions. Goalkeeper Hinz produced several confident saves to preserve the clean sheet, ensuring a stalemate as Round 14 concluded at the Home of the Matildas.
Speaking after the game, Sydney FC keeper Heather Hinz, who made seven saves during the afternoon, said: “I am feeling good after that but if I am being honest, I need to work on my feet but I am really happy that I could show up for my team when I needed to.
“Most goalkeepers would say that they hate breakaways because you have absolutely no control but I love it. When I see them break my defender I’m so excited for it and that’s the goalkeeper mentality.
“[This week]we just have to put our heads down and control the controllables. We’ve got some big games coming up and looking at the table we’re not where we want to be… We just need to go out there and show that we are Sydney FC and we deserve to be higher.”
As a consequence of the outcome, Victory hang on to a spot in the six on goal difference from Adelaide, whilst Sydney remain one off the bottom, six points adrift of a Finals place ahead of a midweek trip to Perth.
Teams: MELBOURNE VICTORY (3-5-2): Newbon, Morrison, Bunge, Curtis, Jančevski, Ray, Sakalis, Lowe, White, Furphy. Substitutes: Blisset, Young, O’Grady, Maher, Techera, Woodward.
SYDNEY FC: Hinz, Tumeth, Tyson, Pearson, Fenton, Lowry, Hunter, Cassar, Hunter, Lemon, Halmarick, Tanner. Substitutes: Robertson, Ulkekul, Corbett, Luchmeijer, Sullivan, Tallon-Henniker.
Referee: Jack Quartermain.
Attendance: 1,056.
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