W-League Round 10 Wrap

Round 10 of the W-League threw up some interesting personal stories. Hayley Raso missed Brisbane Roar’s 0-0 draw with Sydney due to her transfer to Everton, Caitlin Foord made her last appearance for the Sky Blues in the same game before a move to Europe, and Ella Mastrantonio played her 100th W-League game in Western Sydney’s 3-1 win against Perth Glory.

In the other two games, Melbourne City continued their unbeaten season with a 2-0 triumph over Newcastle to extend their lead to six points, and Melbourne Victory secured their first away win against Adelaide in seven seasons, defeating the Reds 3-0.

 

Sydney FC 0 – 0 Brisbane Roar

Written by Dale Roots

Sydney and Brisbane missed a golden opportunity to shore up their W-League finals credentials, playing out a goalless draw at a wet Leichhardt Oval on Thursday night.

Brisbane went into the match missing Matildas winger Hayley Raso ahead of her move to WSL side Everton, and fans could’ve been forgiven for expecting the visitors to be outplayed in their front third.

With four Matildas players – Chloe Logarzo and Teresa Polias for Sydney, Elise Kellond-Knight and Katrina Gorry for Brisbane – patrolling their sides’ respective midfield, both sides struggled to gain a foothold in the match, Brisbane dominating possession in the middle while Sydney relied on distribution to their wingers to push them forward.

Despite that consistent service Sydney were uncharacteristically wasteful in attack, failing to score for only the second time this season and registering just a single shot on target – the side’s lowest total in 2019-20.

Instead, it was Brisbane who forced the issue in attack, forcing Sydney stopper Aubrey Bledsoe into seven saves, including a brilliant low effort to deny substitute Tameka Yallop late in the second half.

Of ongoing concern for the Sky Blues will be a hamstring injury to defender Elizabeth Ralston, who had to be assisted from the pitch after pulling up from a tackle midway through the first half.

 

Melbourne City 2 – 0 Newcastle Jets 

Written by Marissa Lordanic

There appears to be no stopping the Melbourne City train as the three-time champions secured a 2-0 win over the Newcastle Jets.

Goals to Milica Mijatović and Emily van Egmond further cemented City’s place on top of the table. The team now boasts an eight-game winning streak and hasn’t conceded in over 500 minutes, an ominous sign for the other teams.

City was almost always comfortable in this contest without absolutely crushing the Jets. The hosts opened the scoring seven minutes in when a cross from Kyah Simon found its way through Claire Emslie’s legs to a waiting Mijatović. The Serbian striker bought a yard of space before unleashing a curling shot around the diving Claire Coelho in the Jets’ goal.

An early substitution for the Jets did their cause no favours, with Nickoletta Flannery being withdrawn due to an injury. However, the damage was limited to one goal heading into the break.

The restart saw City begin in a similar fashion to the first, with van Egmond finding the back of the net. Her fifth goal of the season was yet another top-shelf finish – this time a long, low driving effort.

Jenna Kingsley came closest for the visitors, however their poor record against Melbourne City continues.

 

Adelaide United 0 – 3 Melbourne Victory 

Written by Molly Appleton

A Natasha Dowie double dashed Adelaide United’s hopes as Melbourne Victory took home a comfortable and crucial three points from South Australia.

Victory welcomed back Laura Brock [née Alleway] and shuffled their formation to introduce three central defenders. For the home side, there were two changes with the in-form Kahlia Hogg and goal scorer Mary Fowler both unavailable.

Immediately the impact of the extra bodies through the centre of the park worked to the advantage of the Victorians, and Adelaide struggled to connect passes. Early dominance from Victory paid dividends when Natasha Dowie found space in the box to put home a cross in convincing fashion.

Adelaide were forced to rely on the long ball for large spells of the match. However, with the experience of Brock, Jenna McCormick and Emily Menges, any chances were snuffed out quickly.

As the game was beginning to settle after half time, Victory required chaos from the deadball to get on the scoreboard again. McCormick whipped the ball back into the mixer after the initial corner went long, and Rosie Sutton made sure of it to tap home in the 78th minute.

Building on the momentum, Dowie was able to cap off the occasion soon after Sutton’s goal.

The win boosts Victory’s chances of clinching a finals spot, keeping them level with Brisbane Roar, while Adelaide were unable to build from the momentum of a draw against Perth last time out.

 

Western Sydney Wanderers 3 – 1 Perth Glory 

Written by Eric Subijano

Western Sydney Wanderers made Ella Mastrantonio’s 100th W-League appearance one to remember by defeating Perth Glory at Bankwest Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The breakthrough came early. With less than three minutes on the clock, Caitlin Cooper repaid coach Dean Heffernan’s faith by finding the net in her first start of the season.

Perth were under pressure for most of the rest of the opening period, and it became even worse when Eliza Campbell sustained a concussion following a collision with Cortnee Vine and had to be substituted at halftime for Young Matilda Morgan Aquino. That wasn’t the only change made by Bobby Despotovski, as he emptied his bench, also bringing on Caitlin Doeglas and Junior Matilda Isabella Wallhead in an attempt to get back into the contest.

The triple substitution paid off almost immediately. On 53 minutes, a Glory counter-attack led to a scramble in the six-yard box, and Doeglas forced the ball over the line for the equaliser.

Their joy was short-lived however as the Wanderers hit back soon afterwards. Kristen Hamilton’s strong run and shot resulted in another goalmouth scramble, with Vine sidefooting the ball home for her first goal in red & black.

Doeglas continued to look lively upfront for the Glory, but Western Sydney would gradually regain control. Their third goal came late and in cruel fashion, with Courtney Nevin’s long-shot deflecting off the unfortunate Wallhead and past a stranded Aquino to make it 3-1. Perth’s luck didn’t change in stoppage time, with an Arianna Romero goal ruled out despite replays suggesting that she was onside.

Gallery courtesy KLZ Photography

The result moves the Wanderers back into second place, six points behind leaders Melbourne City and with a game in hand. Perth remain in eighth.

Round 11 action:

  • Thursday 23/1 7:30pm AEDT – Newcastle Jets (7) v Perth Glory (8)
  • Saturday 25/1 7:30pm AEDT – Adelaide United (9) v Western Sydney Wanderers (2)
  • Sunday 26/1 4:00pm AEDT – Melbourne Victory (5) v Canberra United (6)
Neil Bennett
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