Gielnik hatrick delivers Melbourne another Victory

Adelaide United 1-4 Melbourne Victory

By Kieran Yap 10/3/24

Above: Emily Gielnik (Right), Beattie Goad and Lia Privitelli. Photo: Melbourne Victory

Melbourne Victory have lifted the Pride Cup, scored four times and given winger Ava Briedis a happy birthday with a solid win away to Adelaide United.

Paige Zois once again started in midfield, partnering Alex Chidiac and Sarah D’Appolonia. Rachel Lowe, Beattie Goad and Emily Gielnik made up a fluid front three.

Adelaide United’s bench contained a multitude of attacking options, with Emily Condon due to make her 100th appearance in the A-League Women off the bench. Isabel Hodgson continued to start as the centre forward, with Chelsie Dawber and Maleri Mullan joining her in attack.

It was a fairly even, and at times combative opening to the match. Hodgson charged into the area with intent, but was intercepted by Jamilla Rankin when a goal looked likely. Victory were the ones to open the scoring, and it was through the combination of Emily Gielnik and Paige Zois.

Gielnik is a tall player, but not known for her headed goals. However, the corner from Zois was curled in that the international striker needed only to flick it toward goal to bring up her first of the evening. It was a difficult ball to defend, and an easy one to finish. The perfect delivery from the Australian Under 23 international.

Adelaide came agonizingly close to levelling the scores, but Chelsie Dawbers effort some how bounced away off the underside off the woodwork. Victory were far more clinical, and a little bit lucky up the other end.

Rachel Lowe slipped a pass into the path of Gielnik and although the Victory striker was in an offside position, the ball had bounced off Maruschka Waldus’s foot and Gielnik was able to curl it beyond Annalee Grove for her second.

Confusion reigned as the broadcast was unable to determine if the goal had stood. The vision had cut away as play was restarted and it was unclear whether it was a free kick or kickoff. After a few minutes, the scoreboard on the screen reflected Victory’s 2-0 lead.

Gielnik added a third in the second half after being tee’d up by Lia Prvitelli for a tap in, and could have had four if not for some desperate defending from Nanako Sasaki.

Courtney Newbon pulled off a top drawer save to deny Emily Hodgson from distance, but Isabel Hodgson was able to turn and finish skilfully to bring The Reds back into the game.

The final goal would come from the same source as the first. Another Zois set piece was turned in with the feintest of touches. This time it was Kayla Morrison who flicked on a free kick from deep. Victory ended the game with less shots on goal, less possession, but with four goals to one and with another win as they edge toward peak form with good timing.

Adelaide United played well enough to get a result, but were horribly unlucky at either end of the pitch. Morrison was in strong form and denied some good chances in typically desperate fashion, and had Dawbers effort bounced one way instead of the other or had Lowe’s pass not touched a defenders foot, things might have turned out very differently.

Victory took their chances, Adelaide did not, and with both sides improving in form lately this was a game to see where each team was standing as finals approach.

Right now, with 13 goals in three games Melbourne Victory are looking like a team in form, and have the depth on the bench to both rest players and change games.

With the likes of Elise Kellond-Knight, Alana Murphy and Jessika Nash all unavailable and Kurea Okino used in this match, Victory are starting to look like things are falling together at the right time of the season.

Lineups:

Adelaide United 4-5-1: Grove, Tolland, Tonkin, Waldus, E Hodgson, Dawber, Holtz, Sasaki, Hoolmes, Mullan, I Hodgson. Substitutes: Jancevski, Condon, Bowler, Blake, Jenkins

Scorers: I Hodgson 72’

Melbourne Victory 4-3-3: Newbon, Checker, Hansen, Morrison, Rankin, D’Appolonia, Chidiac, Zois, Goad, Lowe, Gielnik. Substitutes: Briedis, Privitelli, Okino, Curtis, Candy.

Scorers: Gielnik, 9’ 32’ 67’ Morrison 82’

Referee: Isabella Libri

Attendance TBC

Rapid fire Wilkinson double seals City success

Melbourne City 2-0 Newcastle Jets

by Jonathon Hagger (10/3/24)

Above: Hannah Wilkinson (left) who scored two goals in five minutes, celebrates with her teammates today. Photo: Melbourne City.

Melbourne City returned to winning ways thanks to two goals in quick succession after the half-time interval from New Zealand international Hannah Wilkinson.

The outcome was desperately disappointing for Newcastle, who went into the encounter at the City Football Academy Field needing a good result to break the three-way tie for sixth place.

Following a 60 minute delay to kickoff due to severe heat conditions, the match was played conservatively as the teams sought to survive the blazing battle. However, neither were able to prise open the opposition’s defensive structures. The opening 15 minutes followed a repeating pattern of City being put under pressure by the Jets forwards, pinning them down in their own half, with the pressure being released via long passes and the City forwards launching offence through the fast break.  

Given the agreement by each team to have drinks breaks every 15 minutes, as precautionary measures in the 35-degree heat, the short break allowed each team a minute to regroup. A change of momentum occurred with City becoming the more dominant side. The hosts ramped up their physicality in the tackle and speed on attack. Interestingly the officials were comfortable letting some niggle come into the match with a handful of free-kick decisions being overlooked.  

A phenomenal corner kick to the Jets in the 32nd minute, delivered by Barbieri, was the first real opportunity for a goal. The flight of the ball deceived everyone and it pin-balled around just outside the City goalmouth and was finally cleared safely. There were a few heart flutters happening in that series of play!  

Immediately after this in the 35th minute, The home side turned the tables, with Wilkinson finding herself unmarked and with acres of space to move in deep following a beautiful long pass by Stott. Finding herself deep inside the Jets half, Wilkinson stayed patient allowing her teammates time to move forward. A sharp little pass into traffic ended up at the feet of 16-year-old Kiera Meyers who initially thought she had recorded her first A-League goal, only to see it ruled out for offside after a consultation between referee Caitlin Williams and her assistant.  

The battle of the midfields resumed with each team effectively closing down the passing channels for the other team. That was until the 39th minute when Libby Copus-Brown launched a beautiful long ball through to Sarina Bolden whose speed got her in behind her defender. Finding herself in clear air she launched a rocket of a shot that hit the crossbar and out of play. An unfortunate ending to a spectacular attack.  

The first half came to a close with some impressive attacking efforts from the City forwards. Emina Ekic was in the mood, unleashing two shots on goal, but neither were able to beat the hands of Isobel Nino, the Jets’ very talented goalkeeper.  

The second half started in a similar fashion. Both team’s midfields were strong through the middle, not allowing any free flow. City unleashed an attack down the right flank and through an assist from Bryleeh Henry, Wilkinson scored the first goal five minutes after the break.

Another five minutes passed and City repeated the same trick with a long ball forward to Henry, a snazzy pass to an unmarked Wilkinson and the ball went into the net. Two excellent goals set up superbly by Henry. 

The Jets’ first promising attack play landed in the 69th minute as Hoban found Barbieri on a cutback pass who went searching for Bolden to connect with however the ball sailed past the City goal without causing too much fuss.  

The tussle continued with each side showing glimmers of excellence through to the 80th minute when the Jets defenders watched Pollicina waltz through their line and fire a shot. Nino did very well closing down the attack however it was a goal that probably should have been scored.  

With the final whistle quickly closing in, combined with an injection of fresh energy through substitutes, the Jets upped the ante and went searching for goals. It wasn’t as a dominant Melbourne City team deftly handled everything thrown at them.  

Whether it was the score line or the effects of the high temperature, the Jets wilted beneath the heat of the Melbourne City challenge. With an impressive 80% passing completion average and two very good goals, City played themselves back into top form whereas the Jets continued their win-loss-win-loss pattern of matches in recent times.

Teams: MELBOURNE CITY (4-3-3): Barbara, Davidson, Stott, Otto, Roestbakken, Hughes, Meyers, Pollicina, Henry, Wilkinson, Ekic. Substitutes: Barbieri, Varley, Accardo, McKenna (63’), McMahon (68’). 

Scorers: Wilkinson 50’, 55’. 

NEWCASTLE JETS (3-4-3): Nino, Baumann, Prior, Karipidis, Davis, Dundas, Copus-Brown, Hoban, Barbieri, Bolden, Allan. Substitutes: Dunbar, Wilson (89’), Huynh (88’), Allan (84’), Hammond (71’). 

Referee: Caitlin Williams. 

Attendance: TBC. 

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“The job’s not done”: Young Matildas have qualified for the World Cup, but are looking toward bigger things

By Kieran Yap 10/3/24

Above: Australia’s U20s celebrate making the U20 World Cup and the semi-finals of the Asia Cup. Photo: Football Australia.

After winning against Chinese Taipei, Australia’s Under 20 side took time to celebrate, while keeping an eye on bigger prizes. Captain Jessika Nash, goal scorer Claudia Cicco, and player of the match Shay Hollman spoke to the media from Uzbekistan.

With U20 World Cup qualification secured, the Young Matildas took some time to celebrate, but for them, the job is not done yet. Australia still have a semi-final to play and potentially an Asian Cup to win. That did not stop them savouring the moment. The 3-0 win against Chinese Taipei was the culmination of an 18-month process since the beginning of qualifing.

“It’s honestly a dream come true to be heading to Columbia with such an incredible group and staff,” said captain Jessika Nash.

“I think this campaign has really captured and embodied what this team stands for. What we say is it’s not done yet…we still have a semi-final and hopefully a final to play.”

The Young Matildas finished the group stage with three wins from three games, after scoring seven times and conceding just once. Nash said that the intent from the team did not change through the various conditions and opponents.

“The mindset is the exact same from the first game to the second game, to the third game. we wanted to leave the group stage with all the points possible.”

Nash opened the scoring with a perfect volleyed finish from Daniela Galic’s well-placed pass. It was a first goal for the skipper in green and gold, and reward for her work rate in the tournament so far. Nash switched to fullback after spending much of her Under 20’s career in central defence and has been one of the main attacking outlets for the team in Uzbekistan.

The captain was thrilled to lead her nation to the semi-finals and is excited for the future of Australian football.

“I think it’s incredible to represent not only this nation but also this amazing group of girls. Anytime I get to put on the green and gold I never take it for granted and try and showcase the privilege the privilege and honour that it is to put on the green and gold and wear that name on the back of the jersey as well.

“I think that the way football is heading it is such an honour to be able to not only represent football but just Australia in general for women’s football in general. We’ve seen how the World Cup has ignited the game in Australia and to be able to showcase the youth level that we’re heading towards a world cup and the talent that is coming through, its just something that you really can’t put into words.”

“You don’t actually see the sacrifices that not only these girls but the families go through. We’ve just had international women’s day and to recognize some incredible women was truly incredible but it’s every day, it’s not just one day that we celebrate it.”

Shay Hollman was recognized as the player of the match for the second game coming. In a tactical and positions shift from Leah Blayney, the Young Matildas switched to a 4-3-3 formation. Hollman anchored the midfield and helped set up play while cutting off attacks.

“I’ve been working really hard (in training), so for that to replicate into performances is great. “It’s awesome that I can contribute to a great performance from the girls today.

“I love that position, I really enjoy just being able to play passes through, little combination plays, blocking the other team for the defence. I really enjoy it and I think it’s working really well in this formation we’re playing.”

The new setup has been working for Claudia Cicco too. Normally a defender at club level, the Newcastle Jet has been pushed further afield with The Young Matildas and has scored in every round of qualifying before sealing the win with Australia’s third against Chinese Taipei.

“It’s a privilege, I’m very honoured to have scored especially when I’m obviously not a winger. It’s nice to score some goals and to help out the team with what I can do to make us qualify.

“I feel like that (the 4-3-3 formation) was in our advantage because we got a lot of use with the width in the game and counterattacked with that.”

In some ways, this tournament feels overdue for this generation of Young Matildas. Many missed the opportunity to wear the jersey for the Under 17 side, and are making up for lost time with some excellent performances at the Asian Cup. They know the job is not yet done, but feel overjoyed at what they have achieved so far.

“It’s really exciting,” said Hollman.  

“We obviously missed our chance in the U17 cycle because of COVID. So that was really disappointing at the time.. we’re here now and hopefully, we get the job done.

“It’s a dream come true really, we’ve been working towards this as a group over the last 18 months, working really hard, many qualification tournaments. We’re over the moon, it’s surreal and we can’t wait to get there.

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Hurricane Vine wreaks havoc on Western United

Sydney FC 3–1 Western United (09/03/24)

By Ben Carey

Above: Cortnee Vine celebrates her goal with her Sydney FC teammates. Photo: Sydney FC.

A huge crowd filled out Leichardt Oval on Saturday evening towatch the top of the table clash between Sydney FC and Western United, one of the most highly anticipated matches of the second half of the season. The locals were delighted to see their side defeat the visitors thanks to an excellent performance from Matildas star, Cortnee Vine. 

Surprisingly, Western United dominated possession for the first part of the match, however Sydney FC were much more clinical when they had the ball. In the 15th minute, a great through ball from Vine set up Princess Ibini, who forced a parry from the keeper, but Abbey Lemon was positioned perfectly for the follow up and struck the ball beautifully to give the home side the lead.

Sydney closed out the first half without too much trouble. As soon as the second half started, the clock was set to Vine Time until the match ended. A great through ball from Ibini set Vine up in a footrace against a solitary Western defender, which Vine was always going to win. She outfoxed her defender and found a superb angle past the keeper to give Sydney the insurance goal.

After going down two goals, Western United found a new resolve, and they seemed determined to claw their way back into the match. Just before the 80th minute, Grace Maher took an exquisite long range free kick, which found the head of Catherine Zimmerman in the box, who launched it over Jada Whyman in goals. Zimmerman’s header was excellent and the fact that she’d only been substituted on six minutes before is even more impressive.

Western had managed to wrestle their way back into the match. They were pushing forward a lot more, hoping to create more dangerous opportunities and possible snatch a point from the fixture. But pressing as intensely as they also made their defence vulnerable, especially to the likes of pacy, young Matildas stars. In the third minute of stoppage time, an incredible long ball from Kirsty Fenton in the centre of the pitch found Vine, who read the bounce perfectly and then lobbed the keeper to seal the match for Sydney. 

Both sides have well and truly cemented their place in the top six and a spot in the end of season finals series. But with only a few matches left to play, the win today provides Sydney withvaluable momentum in the late season race for the Premiership. Technically there are still and handful of sides that could win it. It’s going to be an exciting finish to the regular season!

Sydney FC will take on Wellington Phoenix away from home next Sunday. Meanwhile, Western United will host Newcastle Jets, shortly after.

Teams: SYDNEY FC (4–3-3): Whyman, Tumeth, Mclean, Thompson, Fenton, Ray, Chauvet, Hawkesby, Lemon, Ibini, Vine. Substitutes: Black, Connors, Johnson, Malone, Tallon-Henniker.

Scorers: Lemon 15’, Vine 70’, 90+3’.

WESTERN UNITED (4-2-3-1): Larsen, Papadopoulos, Cerne, Maher, Medwin, A. Taranto, Robers, Sawicki, M. Taranto, Hieda, Keane. Substitutes: Dall’Oste, Zimmerman, Prakash, Sardo, Vlajnić.

Scorers: Zimmerman 77’.

Referee: Rebecca Durcau

Attendance: 3,442

Roar lost at sea against Mariners

Brisbane Roar 0–2 Central Coast Mariners (09/03/24)

By Ben Carey

Above: Kyah Simon celebrates with her teammates after scoring the second goal of the match. Photo: Central Coast Mariners.

A large crowd packed into Ballymore Stadium on Saturday evening to watch Brisbane Roar take on Central Coast Mariners. Much to the dismay of local supporters, a large and vocal crowd was not enough to prevent a painful loss to the visitors.

It was an energetic start to the match from both sides. The majority of the first half was characterised by Mariners dominating possession but the Roar creating much better chances. It could have easily been 2-0 to Brisbane in the first half hour, but each chance either just missed or was snuffed out by the Mariners backline or by Casey Dumont in goals.

Just before stoppage time in the first half began, Annabel Martincaught the Brisbane defence sleeping and crossed a great ball into the box that Chinese international, Wurigumula, was able to flick past Roar keeper, Jordan Silkowitz.

The Roar went into half time having been the better side, having created a wealth of chances, but with nothing to show for it. Worse still, they were down a goal. 

In the very first minute of the second half, things went from bad to worse for Brisbane Roar. A sloppy turnover in the midfield forced a great save from Silkowitz and then a resulting corner. The corner itself didn’t cause many issues, but the Roar’s inability to clear the ball did, and Kyah Simon score a fine poacher’s goal to send the Mariners ahead 2-0. It was the second goal of the season for the former Matildas star, who has only just come back from over a year out due to injury.

After the second goal was conceded the Roar looked completely deflated. Their movements were sluggish, they were making more mistakes, and not on the same page with many plays. They tried to mount a few more attacks, but the Mariners shut them all down with relative ease.

With the win, the Central Coast Mariners solidify their place in the top six and will now almost certainly qualify for the end of season finals series. With three games left to play, Brisbane can still technically make the finals series, but they will have to win all of their remaining matches to give themselves a fighting chance.

Brisbane Roar will play Adelaide United away from home next Saturday. Meanwhile, Central Coast Mariners will host Canberra United the following day.

Teams: BRISBANE ROAR (3-4-3): Silkowitz, Scarpelli, McCormick, De La Harpe, McQueen, Freier, Norrie, Stephenson, Yallop, Woods, Corbin. Substitutes: Richards,Palmer, Hecher, Kirkup, Brodigan.

CENTRAL COAST MARINERS (4-2-3-1): Dumont, Bryson, Irwin, Wardlow, Martin, Gomez, Galic, Badawiya, Simon, Hayward, Wurigumula. Substitutes: Langman, Evans, Karambasis, Karrys-Stahl, Quiligan.

Scorers: Wurigumula 45’, Simon 46’.

Referee: Casey Lisa Reibelt

Attendance: TBC

Young Matildas qualify for U20 Women’s World Cup in style

By Kieran Yap 9/3/24

Above: Australia line up to face Chinse Taipei in the final group game. Photo: Football Australia/Tiff Williams

Australia has qualified for the Under 20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. Goals to Jessika Nash, Zara Kruger and Claudia Cicco gave The Young Matildas a comfortable win over Chinese Taipei and guaranteed them top spot in the group.

After winning the first two games, Australia had the luxury of knowing that a draw or better would see them progress from the group, but coach Leah Blayney took no chances with the lineup. This squad is deep, and even players rotated out were replaced by prodigious talents with A-League Women experience. Alana Murphy was replaced by Kruger, while Claudia Cicco and Kahli Johnson came in for Lara Gooch and Maddie Caspers.

Australia started in dominant fashion. The Young Matildas snapped into tackles, pressed high up the pitch and bypassed Chinese Taipei’s formation with impressive, quick passes. Peta Trimis and Daniela Galic were stand out performers once again. Their close control and eye-catching changes of pace kept the opposition guessing and at times visibly panicking.

Johnson looked dangerous out wide on the left and her direct style caused early problems. She had the ball in the back of the net from a Galic cutback but it was waved away for offside.

Naomi Chinnama almost opened the scoring with a towering header but the crossbar denied her a second of the tournament.

Australia inevitably broke the deadlock through the captain. Jessika Nash cushioned her volley into the far corner after Galic found her with a floating cross at the back post. The finish was quality, and the assist was another example of how this team can find different ways to create chances.

Kruger had the second before half time. Johnson’s cross from the left found its way through three Chinese Taipei defenders and by the time it arrived at Kruger’s feet she had even more to contend with. She delayed on the ball, waited for the keeper to commit and shifted the ball one more time to create the space to double Australia’s lead.

With qualification essentially secured., Blayney made changes at half time. Nash and Chinnama were rested, with possible intentions to protect them receiving yellow cards that would disqualify them from the semi finals. This coincided with Chinese Taipei coming out with much more attacking intent. The Australian defence, now containing Teagan Bertolissio and Gemma Ferris handle it well, but the game was on much more even terms for the second half.

Cicco sealed the win with a late goal from a corner kick. Chinese Tapei failed to clear the ball and substitute Indiana Dos Santos prodded the ball back to Cicco who finished from close range.

Celebrations after the final whistle were relatively muted considering the huge achievement. Australia has not qualified directly for an Under 20 Women’s World Cup since 2006, and are now within two wins of an Asian Cup trophy. The team is talented and well organized but they have the feel of a side that knows bigger things are on the horizon than finishing top in the group stage.

So far, this has been a very solid tournament. They have won all three games, scored seven goals and conceded just one. The players seem aware that there is still room for improvement and this was the first game since qualifiers that they have scored in both halves. They have achieved something special and are still getting better.

Congratulations Young Matildas. We are all excited to see what comes next.

Match report: Canberra United 1-1 Western Sydney Wanderers

By Ryan Miller-Woods 9/3/24

Both Canberra United and Western Sydney Wanderers shared the points with a 1-1 draw at McKellar Park. Michelle Heyman’s 150th match for United saw late drama and a result that for Canberra’s finals aspirations would be seen as a missed opportunity.

Photo by Canberra United

Early on in proceedings, there were two moments where Western Sydney intercepted the ball from the Canberra defence that almost saw them capitalise. Luckily for United they didn’t concede but it felt like a matter of time before the Wanderers would score.

In the eighth minute, the Wanderers almost scored from a cross into the box that forced Canberra’s goalkeeper Coco Majstorovic into a save. The ball fell to Olivia Price whose first-time shot went over the bar.

As the half progressed towards the 20-minute mark, the more that Canberra got themselves into the match in terms of their build-ups in play and looked less shakey at the back.

In the 32nd minute, Amy Chessari came relatively close to scoring from outside the box, but her shot just went over the bar.

Three minutes later, the Wanderers came close to opening the scoring as Amy Harrison provided a great pass into the box that allowed Ella Buchanan to have a one-on-one with Majstorovic.  

The goalkeeper was able to extend her leg to block Buchanan’s shot. Western Sydney really looked dangerous in attack with this chance created being no exception.

In the 37th minute, Western Sydney thought they’d opened the scoring from a free kick by Harrison. She found Sophie Harding in the box who slotted the ball through for Vicky Bruce to put the ball into the back of the net but from an offside position.

Five minutes later, Canberra then came close to scoring. Heyman made a great run with the ball into the box but her shot found the side netting for what was Canberra’s first major chance in the match.

In the 57th minute, Canberra broke the deadlock. A free kick by Mary Stanic-Floody found Heyman in the box and she headed the ball into the path of Nicki Flannery who put the ball into the bottom left corner for her fourth goal of the season.

Overall, it was a great team play by United and most importantly fully capitalised on the opportunity they had in front of them.

Despite having gone a goal down, Western Sydney continued to be relentless in attack with the chances they kept creating but for the time being still weren’t able to find the back of the net.

In the second minute of stoppage time, Canberra came close to doubling their lead. Deven Jackson’s ball landed in the path of Ruby Nathan but her shot was stopped by Sham Khamis.

Five minutes later, when it looked set to be a win for Canberra, the Wanderers found their equaliser. Harding provided a ball for Morris who beat the United defence which allowed to be one-on-one with Majstorovic as she slotted the ball into the bottom right corner.

Absolute heartbreak for Canberra but for Western Sydney would have been a deserved goal given the amount of goalscoring opportunities they had made in the match.

Teams: Canberra United (4-2-4): Majstorovic, Jackson,Ilijoski, McKenzie, Christopherson, Stanic-Floody, Murray, Whittall, Heyman, Milivojevic, Flannery. Substitutes: Ritchie, Piazza, Rojas, Nathan, McNulty.

Scorers: Flannery 57’.

Western Sydney Wanderers (4-4-2): S.Khamis,McComasky, Bruce, Harrison, Keir, Buchanan, Price, Chessari, Matos, Rue, Harding. Substitutes: Collins, Caceres, Breier, Morris, Abdul-Massih.

Scorers: Morris 90+7’.

Referee: Bec Mackie.

Attendance: TBC

Phoenix rise as Perth’s winless run extends

Perth Glory 1-3 Wellington Phoenix

by Emma Burke (8/3/24)

Above: Wellington Phoenix celebrate Michaela Robertson’s (fourth left) goal that put them 2-1 up last night. Photo: Wellington Phoenix.

Spending a whole week in Perth to avoid jet lag has paid dividends for Wellington Phoenix as they recorded their first-ever set of back-to-back wins over Perth Glory, defeating them 3-1 at Macedonia Park.

The visitors opened the scoring through Alyssa Whinham, with a close-range header that sent the ball to the bottom left corner, delivered by Isabel Cox. Whinham looked even more shocked than the Glory defence at her goal, celebrating with a look of surprised joy on her face.

The response from Perth came just before the end of the first half, after Susan Phonsongkham won a free kick near the corner flag. Hana Lowry sent the ball in with a curve that seemed to defy physics but took a final touch off Phoenix defender Michaela Foster.

With the score tied up at halftime, the game could have gone either way, however, Wellington were not going to let all that time spent in Perth be for naught.

The Nix were able to make excellent use of a turnover at the top of their defensive box, and only 17 seconds later, score an incredible team goal.

Cox played a ball through the middle of the park to find Whinham, who put in an incredible assist with the outside of her right foot to find the run of Michaela Robertson and split the Glory defence. All that was left was for Robertson to use a deft touch to put the ball into the net and regain the lead.

Wellington almost immediately found the back of the net again after an uncharacteristic error by Morgan Aquino in goal, her pass out of the box was sent straight into the feet of Cox, luckily, the Glory defence was able to rally behind their keeper, particularly Liz Anton, who made the key goal-line save.

The final goal of the evening came to Macey Fraser, a long-ranged effort from outside the box that was belted into the top left corner, well out of reach of Aquino.

This result now sees Perth winless in their last nine games, and they are still yet to win a game this year, making them look like a shadow of themselves from the first few rounds of the Liberty A-League.

Teams: PERTH GLORY (4-4-2): Aquino, Rigby, Anton, Cowart, Foletta, Phonsongkham, Lowry, Quezada, Jale, Farrow. Substitutes: James, Cain, Lawrence, Hoarau, Stonehill.

Scorer: Foster (OG) 43’.

WELLINGTON PHOENIX (3-4-3): R. Foster, Lake, M. Foster, Barry, Brazendale, Whinham, Breslin, Jaber, Speckmaier, Cox, Robertson. Substitutes: Edwards, Davidson, Fraser, Errington, Main

Scorers: Whinham 24’, Robertson 56’, Fraser 78’.

Referee: Georgia Ghirardello.

Attendance: TBC.

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A-League Women Media Conferences

Impetus’ Genevieve Henry and Ryan Miller-Woods were in both Canberra United’s and Western Sydney Wanderers’ press conferences ahead of round 19 and the makeup of round 5 (8/3/2024).

Canberra United

By Ryan Miller-Woods

Above: Canberra United head coach Njegosh Popovich speaking to the media. Image: Canberra United.

The media heard from Canberra United Head Coach Njegosh Popovich and Vesna Milivojević ahead of the team’s upcoming match against Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday. 

Canberra goes into this weekend’s match off the back of a 4-2 defeat last round to Western United and need to bounce back with a result this round against the Wanderers for their finals aspirations. It goes without saying, that despite Canberra having two games in hand, the gap between themselves and sixth is currently 10 points, and they really need every possible point from their final games of the regular season to be in that top six. 

When asked how the team is feeling this week, Popovich said, “feeling confident, as we always are. From our point of view, nothing changes and this weekend being no different. We’ve got Western Sydney Wanderers back-to-back which will be very interesting for us but really focused on getting the three points.” 

For United, it’ll be a quick turnaround with upcoming fixtures where after this round will face Western Sydney again on Wednesday away before they then head to Gosford for their match against Central Coast Mariners next Sunday, which will test squad fitness over the next three games. 

When asked whether the team are preparing mentally and physically for the match on Wednesday, Popovich said, “yeah, I think that they are without a doubt. The focus is about for the next three games very much are results-driven, everybody’s excited and really looking forward to the challenge.” 

Despite the defeat last round to Western United with the performance in the first half not being what Canberra would have wanted, they did come out in the second half with more energy and overall, a much better half which saw some great goals from both Deven Jackson and Michelle Heyman which were definitely positives that came away from the loss. 

When asked about how the team fought back in that second half against Western United, Popovich said, “yeah, absolutely positives. I turned to our bench after the 14-15th minute mark and you’re three nil down and to concede a goal in the first 15 seconds of the game was heartbreaking. But full credit to the girls, they rallied, they re-grouped and we came out with a game plan in the second half without a doubt. To win the second half 2-1 is sensational, so hopefully we can keep building on that.”

Above: Vesna Milivojević speaking to the press ahead of facing her former club. Image: Canberra United.

One player who’ll be going up her former club this round is none other than Vesna Milivojević who played for the Wanderers in the 2019-20 W-League season and will be looking to make an impact this weekend to help Canberra’s chances of making the finals come the end of the regular season. 

When asked what she’s most looking forward to ahead of Saturday’s match, Milivojević said, “it’s obviously against my old club, the Wanderers. I’m honestly just looking forward to the opportunity to play them. I wouldn’t say I have any bad blood with anyone but I have a bit more of a drive when I play against the Wanderers, that’s my hometown, so I always want to play well (against them).” 

When asked about the threats that Western Sydney Wanderers have in their squad, Milivojević said, “I think they have a lot of speed and like on the transition, they’ll be really good. So I think we just need to have a good, rested defence and we can sort that out.” 

Last match against Western United, when both Heyman and Milivojević came onto the pitch for the second half, there was more energy having them both in the match itself and saw a much better performance from the team in that half. 

When asked how to harness that second-half performance and build on that going into this weekend’s match, Milivojević said, “we need to get back to what we were doing. We need to just stick to what we know, what we’re good at (and) stick to our strengths. Every player needs to be on 100%. You can’t have a player missing (on the pitch) because that’s when the other team will exploit that. So, I think just everyone  needs to turn up with that fighting attitude and that winner’s mentality.” 

Western Sydney Wanderers

By Genevieve Henry

Above: Wanderers head coach Robbie Hooker addressing the match against Sydney. Image: Western Sydney Wanderers.

The media heard from Western Sydney Wanderers head coach Robbie Hooker and young attacker Cushla Rue ahead of the Wanderers’ big match up(s) with last-placed, yet ever-scoring Canberra United. 

The A-League Women’s schedule will not only see Western Sydney travel to Canberra on Saturday, but Canberra will travel to Western Sydney next Wednesday, making it a bizarre sequence of games to prepare for. On this note, Hooker emphasised that although it is unusual, they’ve been preparing like any other games, but that “whatever happens on Saturday, we’ll have three or four days to either try to rectify what went wrong, or try to keep doing what worked well…it presents a different challenge for us.” 

Rue reiterated Hooker’s points, saying, “you just have to focus on the first game, you can’t worry about next Wednesday night. Just focusing on the first three points, but hopefully we can get the six.”

Coming off of a tough loss last round which saw them lose the derby to Sydney, including a controversial red card to key player Vicky Bruce, the Wanderers will be searching for something to numb the pain against Canberra. Hooker highlighted the fact that some decisions may have swung the game against them, saying, “There were a couple of incidents in the game which probably didn’t help us: the penalty, which the referee’s coordinator has admitted wasn’t a penalty–that didn’t help, (and) the red card which wasn’t a red card which has been subsequently overturned didn’t help. So, up until that point in the game, we were competitive, we were trying to push to look for a winner. Based on those circumstances, it was one of those games that could have gone either way.” 

Above: Cushla Rue addresses the media ahead of facing Canberra. Image: Western Sydney Wanderers.

Rue was happy with the work the Wanderers put in against Sydney, saying, “we changed formation last weekend, I think in the first half we did well, we combined as a team, and we looked to play each other’s feet a little more. We tried to make some chances in and around the box, and I think what we can work on for this weekend is creating a few more chances and finishing them off, but it was unlucky to get the loss. This week we just have to boost morale and focus on this weekend.”

Coming up against a tough Canberra attack with golden boot leader Michelle Heyman and the ever-present Vesna Milivojević, the Wanderers will hope that their defence can remain stoic. Thankfully for the team in red and black, defender Vicky Bruce’s red card has been overturned, as aforementioned, but they will be lacking one starting centre back in Alexia Apostolakis. “We’ve got a couple of players away with the (Australian National) Under-20s, so that hasn’t helped us. Lexi (Apostolakis) who is a consistent starter on the team, so that has sort of disrupted things. These are things that all teams have to adjust to and put up with, so our focus is just trying to win each game.” 

Western Sydney sit in 8th, only one point out of the top six and finals qualification. Hooker commented, “we’ve been speaking about making finals all year. The hunger is still there, it’s just a matter of making sure we execute on the field. With five games left, I think if we win three of those, we’ll probably make the finals.” The Wanderer’s destiny will be in their own hands if they can get results from both matches against Canberra, a great opportunity against the bottom-placed team.

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Wellington Phoenix Press Conference

Above: Wellington Phoenix in the huddle. Image: Wellington Phoenix.

By Ryan Miller-Woods (7/3/2024).

The media heard from the Wellington Phoenix’s Rylee Foster and Michaela Foster ahead of the team’s upcoming match against Perth Glory on Friday. 

Wellington goes into the match against Perth off the back of a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Melbourne Victory last round, which continued the Phoenix’s misfortunes away from home this season. While they are still in the hunt to make finals, only five points behind sixth, with a game in hand, they need to get some results in their final five games of the regular season. 

Upon being asked how the team has reflected and responded from the match against Victory, Rylee Foster said, “the standards from that game, especially that first half, weren’t up to par for what we hold ourselves accountable to. There’s a bit of frustration and disappointment on our end but I think we can take a lot of hope, and a lot of optimism, and positivity from the fact that the second half was a lot more powerful, a lot more dominant. If we can take that performance, that fearlessness, that tenacious ability that we showed that we’ll able to take that to Perth.” 

Last time that Wellington and Perth faced each other in round six, the Phoenix came from behind to win 2-1 in Auckland. Admittedly, both teams were in very different positions to where they are now: from fighting for the top spots on the ladder to fighting to make the finals come the end of the season. But, in this endlessly unpredictable and competitive season in the A-League Women, a couple of good results may be all it takes.  

When asked whether it’s a good thing to be facing Perth Glory given where both teams are currently on the ladder and if the gameplan is different compared to last time, Rylee Foster said, “I wouldn’t say the way we are sitting on the table, respective to both teams has any effect. It’s another game in the A-League and goes to show how competitive the A-League really is. The strategy going into the game doesn’t change from what we work on, we’re not going to change our ways because necessarily we beat them once. I think we’re going to stay to our practice and at the end of the day as long we can contribute to that, I’m confident we’ll get a result.” 

It isn’t a secret that Wellington, despite some close results away from home this season, hasn’t had the best of fortunes in Australia where their only points and win away from New Zealand this season was against Western Sydney Wanderers in round two. Despite the great results at home for the Phoenix, their away form has really defined their season. 

When asked how the team has addressed this, Michaela Foster said, “already going in that Victory game, we knew weren’t getting results over here (in Australia) and we’ve come close, but not close enough even to scrap one point. We knew that we needed points in these two away trips (to Melbourne and Perth). We know it’s travelling but it’s important to know every game, especially at this point of the season we’re still pushing for that top six. It’s really crucial to know that we need points and I think the pressure is on us.” 

Given that Michaela Foster as appointed as Vice-Captain for the Phoenix this season, she was asked whether the team still has it in them to make the finals with the remaining matches of the season and the current form the squad is in, to which she said, “absolutely! I’ve always believed in this team and I came into the team optimistic about what we could do this season and still am. I think we’ve shown a lot of really good stuff, especially at the start of the season but I think in moments we’ve continued to show that, it’s just being able to put those 90-minute performances back together.” 

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