Central Coast Mariners 5-1 Newcastle Jets
by Alice de Koster-Kitto (1/2/25)
Above: The Mariners celebrate one of their five goals against Newcastle. Photo: A-Leagues
Central Coast Mariners have made history, beating Newcastle Jets in Gosford for the first time in 15 years, in an astounding 5-1 victory.
The Industree Group Stadium crowd were treated to an enticing match from the start, with an endless stream of chances beginning almost immediately. Aside from the innate rivalry that comes with this meeting, both sides entered the match with a lot to prove.
A win for the Jets would mark their first win since December, while the Mariners are looking to extend their excellent campaign, having lost just once, in the past six matches.
The first big chance came just two minutes into play, with the first of many excellent runs from Jade Pennock looking to be headed toward goal, however, the Mariners striker was marked offside before anything could come of it.
Newcastle Jets dominated in terms of possession, and shots on target, however, it appeared early in that the first goal would come from the Mariners, as they were able to capitalise on the empty space left by the visitors.
An excellent shot from Jade Pennock almost put Central Coast in an early lead, however, the shot was saved by Jets keeper Danielle Krzyzaniak. Just moments later, Brooke Nunn’s effort opened the scoring for the home side in the eighth minute.
Newcastle immediately looked to respond to the goal, when a dangerously close strike from India Breier was saved by Central Coast keeper Sarah Langman. The match saw Langman extend her so far wonderful campaign, with a series of impeccable saves in succession over the 90 minutes.
The Jets were technically dominant in this match, with a series of wonderful strikes, and 100% passing accuracy in the first half, however, their lack of depth, prevented them from finishing on several occasions.
The frantic efforts of visitors finally came to fruition, when 16-year-old Josie Allan found the equaliser in the 29th minute, with a strike from outside the box.
Chances kept coming from both sides, at an incredible rate, as Allan looked for a brace almost immediately after scoring, while Alexis Collins was very close to securing a Jets lead and netting her first Ninja A-League goal, however the efforts of this young Newcastle squad, were no match for the Mariners almost faultless defensive line.
Central Coast’s lead was extended in the 33rd minute, when captain Bianca Galic, took advantage of what proved to be quite a disastrous slip by Krzyzaniak, as the keeper was found outside the box, allowing Galic the opportunity for a strike directly to the back of the net. It would remain 2-0 at the interval.
The top of the second half was met with the same tenacity as the first, when the Mariners found their third goal of the match in the 49th minute, with Tiana Fuller’s shot from the center of the box.
Despite Central Coast’s lead, Newcastle remained determined to find the back of the net once again, and although they now faced a tougher challenge than anticipated, the Jets have been no stranger to late comeback this campaign, as they maintained their possession and strike rate through the second half.
After a series of strikes and near misses throughout the match, Jade Pennock netted the Mariners fourth goal. In a thrilling battle inside box, her initial attempt bounced off the crossbar, a mistake that proved to be a blessing, as the ball was delivered directly back to her foot, whilst the Jets keeper was found off her mark, allowing Pennock to send the ball directly over the line.
Newcastle Jets found themselves in even more trouble, when Claudia Cicco was sent off after a clear foul against Mariners Annalise Rasmussen, leaving the Jets down a player, at a crucial point of the match.
Although it seemed highly unlikely that Newcastle would score again, Mariners struggled with their possession as stoppage time approached, as the highly energetic game seemed to have caught up with the dominant side, giving the Jets some hope that they would not further concede, despite a series of preventable mistakes throughout their defense.
This hope was not long maintained, as Central Coast netted a fifth and final goal in the final minute of added time. A wonder strike from range by Young Matilda Peta Trimis sealed the 5-1 win. The goal also marked the youngster’s first goal of the Ninja A-League season.
Newcastle Jets are set for another tough challenge in the upcoming round, as they head home to McDonald Jones Stadium, going up against current table leaders Melbourne City who are now unbeaten in 17 games.
Central Coast Mariners will head to McKellar Park to face Canberra United in a vital encounter in the race for the top six.
Teams: CENTRAL COAST MARINERS (4-1-3-2): Langman, Seaman, Nash, Martin, Pennock, Gaelic, Ray, Fuller, Rowe, Quilligan, Nunn. Substitutes: Carmichael, Rasmussen, Kraszula, Puxty, Trimis.
Scorers: Nunn 8′, Galic 33’, Fuller 49′, Pennock 54’, Trimis 90+3′.
NEWCASTLE JETS (4-3-3): Krzyzaniak, Wilson, Cicco, Davis, Breier, Dundas, Copus-Brown, Hoban, Baumann, Allan, Collins. Substitutes: Hammond, Gooch, Walandouw, Robertson, Adams.
Scorer: Allan 30’.
Referee: Bec Mackie
Attendance: 3,742.
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