Adelaide United 1-3 Newcastle Jets
by Ben Gilby (28/3/26)
Above: Kelli Brown (white shirt), who scored two of Newcastle Jets’ goals battles away for possession today at ServiceFM Stadium. Photo: Newcastle Jets.
Newcastle Jets gained a victory at a significantly depleted Adelaide United this afternoon which keeps alive their Finals hopes for at least another 24 hours.
This outcome has put a spanner in the works of their South Australian opponents’ aims of finishing in the top two.
Two goals from New Zealand international Kelli Brown, plus one from Josie Allan propelled Newcastle to an excellent win. Isabelle Hodgson was on the mark for the Reds, who have now only picked up one point across their last three games as the season reaches the business end.
Adelaide were well below strength, with a combination of injury, international duty, and personal reasons, plus Fiona Worts departure coming together at the worst possible time.
The Reds were only able to name four substitutes, one of whom was a goalkeeper. Their starting line-up showed five changes from last weekend’s defeat at Canberra United. Claudia Jenkins came in for Ilona Melegh in goal, with Dylan Holmes replacing Matilda McNamara. Isabelle Hodgson, Lara Gooch, and Sian Dewey also came in for Erin Healy, Adriana Taranto, and Paige Zois.
Newcastle Jets handed a debut to Ally Boertje, part of four changes from their starting XI that went down 4-2 to Brisbane Roar last Friday. Zoe Karipidis replaced Emma Bates, with Kelli Brown and Charlotte Lancaster coming in for Alexis Collins and Emma Dundas.
Adelaide had the first real opportunity of this encounter with 20 minutes played as Isabelle Hodgson broke down the right and played a pass inside Karipidis for Gooch to control and then cut diagonally inside to let fly with a powerful effort from just outside the 18 yard box that Boertje held brilliantly as Chelsie Dawber closed in rapidly.
Just three minutes later, the visitors hit the front as Josie Allan took possession in the middle of the park to play a perfectly weighted pass between Emily Hodgson and Holmes into the stride of Brown who timed her run perfectly to advance into acres of space and fire into the right-hand corner of the net.
Just before the half-hour mark, the Jets came close to doubling their advantage. Melina Ayres played in a high ball from the left that Jenkins couldn’t deal with and it bounced perfectly for Brown to drive a power blaster goalwards from around 10 yards, but Jenkins made a stunning diving save to repel the danger, only for Ayres to fire a half volley back which Jenkins got back off of the turf to deal with impressively once more.
Inspired by their goalkeeper’s heroics, the hosts levelled with four minutes remaining of the half.
Sarah Morgan, stationed in the midfield, laid a pass to Emily Hodgson outside her, who in turn found Dawber on the left-hand edge of the box. The attacker crossed towards the back post where Isabelle Hodgson came in to flick a header behind her marker Karipidis and into the net.
Newcastle regained the lead 10 minutes into the second half. Sophie Hoban came out on top in a tussle with Ella Tonkin along the right that the Adelaide defender looked likely to win initially and was able to calmly cut the pass back for an unmarked Josie Allan to side foot home from less than 10 yards.
The Jets pressed once more, and Jenkins kept her side in the game yet again with 25 minutes remaining. Libby Copus-Brown released Brown from the right, with Jenkins coming out rapidly to block the Football Fern striker’s shot, with the ball rebounding to for Ayres to hit a half-volley that Zoe Tolland headed away just in front of the goal line.
However, Newcastle did get their third with seven minutes of regulation time remaining. Substitute Haley Johnson cleared the ball through the middle for Brown to race onto from around 35 yards. Despite Tonkin’s best efforts to push her to the right, the former Wellington Phoenix and Perth Glory attacker laid a cool finish into the far corner of the net.
To make Finals, the Jets need Central Coast Mariners to lose both their remaining games, and they themselves would have to defeat a Melbourne City side out for a win to clinch a third successive Premiers crown.
Adelaide United, who are guaranteed Finals football, end their home and away season at home to a Wellington Phoenix side who can still become Premiers themselves.
Teams: ADELAIDE UNITED (4-3-3): Jenkins, Tolland, Tonkin, Holmes, E.Hodgson, Morgan, Gooch, Dewey, I.Hodgson, Dawber, Condon. Substitutes: Bowler, Miller, Nicholas, Rossi.
Scorer: I.Hodgson 41′.
NEWCASTLE JETS (4-3-3): Boertje, Karipidis, Prior, Wilson, Cicco, Hoban, Copus-Brown, J.Allan, Lancaster, Ayres, Brown. Substitutes: Adams, L.Allan, Bates, Dunbar, Johnson, Page.
Scorers: Brown 23′, 83′. J.Allan 55′.
Referee: Georgia Ghiradello.
Attendance: TBC.
Follow Impetus on social media:
@ImpetusFootball on Threads, Instagram and TikTok.
impetusfootball.org 