The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home
20Nov22 | 26Nov22 | 04Dec22 | 10Dec22 | 17Dec22 | 02Jan23 | 07Jan23 | 15Jan23 | 22Jan23 | 29Jan23 | 12Feb23 | 26Feb23 | 04Mar23 | 11Mar23 | 18Mar23 | 25Mar23 | 28Mar23 | 01Apr23
04Dec22
Reigning Champs Edge Wellington In Oppressive Heat
by Jeremy Ruane
Reigning Liberty A-League champions Melbourne Victory kickstarted their 2022-3 campaign in front of 589 fans at Epping Stadium on December 4, eclipsing Wellington Phoenix 1-0 to leave the beaten side without a point to their name after the opening three rounds of action.
In truth, the home team should have won by a bigger margin in the sweltering conditions, with the heat forcing the premature departure from the fray of Wellington's Alyssa Whinham in the 67th minute.
The talented teenager slumped to the ground in the oppressive heat - the temperature was around the 33C mark, double that usually experienced in Wellington at this time of year - and after treatment, was unable to leave the pitch without assistance.
Her health scare highlighted an element of Wellington's schedule which is going to play a key part in their season - the timing of kick-offs in hot weather. This was a 4pm kick-off, local time, while a number of other Wellington games in Australia kick off at 3pm in the height of an Australian summer! As well, there are two occasions in January, traditionally NZ's hottest month, when Wellington will be kicking off home games at 12.20pm … something is well out of order here!
There's no doubting the heat contributed to aspects of the visitors' performance, such as a poor fifth minute clearance which allowed Beatrice Goad to scamper past Claudia Cicco to the by-line, from where she picked out Alex Chidiac with a low cross which the Matildas' midfielder shot straight at Brianna Edwards.
Wellington's 'keeper then grabbed a Melina Ayres header after the striker had been picked out by Goad's free-kick. This prompted a counter-attack by Natalie Lawrence's side, Paige Satchell leading the charge down the left . Her initial cross was blocked, but the rebound invited the Football Ferns' flyer to unleash a shot, one grabbed greedily by Casey Dumont.
Satchell was in again soon afterwards, this time pursuing an inviting pass from Whinham after she'd pounced on Goad's stray pass. Dumont dashed out and saved at the feet of the speedster, and repeated the dose in the tenth minute to foil Ava Pritchard, Satchell the supplier on this occasion.
In between times, Melbourne should have opened the scoring. Kayla Morrison surged out of defence and over the halfway line before threading an inviting through ball into the stride of Goad. Edwards blocked her shot with her legs at the near post.
Dumont required treatment in the twelfth minute after Michaela Robertson had charged in on her as the 'keeper saved at the diminutive striker's feet. That FIFA referee Kate Jacewicz didn't book the offender was a minor surprise, given goalkeepers tend to benefit from the overly protective nature of match officials when such incidents occur.
After Ayres went close with a couple of efforts, neither of which troubled Edwards unduly, a Goad corner on the half-hour wasn't cleared, inviting Ayres to chance her arm with a header. This, too, wasn't cleared, allowing Elise Kellond-Knight the chance to open the scoring with another header. Michaela Foster was perfectly positioned to clear this effort off the line.
Seconds later, the Wellington fullback was stinging the gloves of Dumont with a thirty yarder at the end of a Whinham-inspired counter-attack. That was as close as the visitors got to breaking the deadlock before the interval, a feat in which Melbourne succeeded deep in first half stoppage time.
|
Edwards saved an effort from Morrison shortly beforehand, but when Goad delivered a corner to the near post, Ayres soared over all-comers and directed her header into the top far corner of the net, to the undisguised delight of her team-mates - it was Melbourne's first goal of the season.
After the interval, the scorer went close again, rattling the side-netting in the 55th minute after the home team had once more exploited Wellington's weakness on their right flank, a problem resolved when Saskia Vosper was finally introduced to the fray halfway through the half - why she's not a nailed-on starter in Wellington's back four Lord alone knows. Frankly, she should be!
Prior to her arrival on the park, Melbourne twice went close to doubling their lead, Edwards grabbing a stinging drive from half-time substitute Ava Briedis, then pawing out a dangerous inswinging corner from Chidiac on the hour.
After the sobering sight of Whinham's enforced departure, her team-mates looked to give their stricken colleague's spirits a boost by way of an equaliser. Twenty minutes from time, Satchell did superbly well to keep possession while under pressure from two opponents before bringing Betsy Hassett into play.
Her angled reverse pass rewarded the overlapping run of Foster, who fizzed a low cross into the goalmouth. Chloe Knott was racing in to meet it, but an old friend from her Lotto Northern Premier Women's League playing days had other ideas - Claudia Bunge foiled her former team-mate.
Ten minutes later, Hassett was unceremoniously fouled by Kellond-Knight some twenty-five yards out from goal, presenting Foster with a terrific chance to draw level. Her free-kick arced round the wall but just past Dumont's left-hand post - the visitors' last chance to restore parity, as things panned out.
For Melbourne had five opportunities in the last ten minutes to double their lead, and should hav done so on at least one occasion. Substitute Paige Zois evaded two challenges on the right before inviting fellow replacement Maja Markovski to let fly.
Edwards saved this, but was caught in possession by the shooter in the 84th minute. The 'keeper's blushes were spared by the covering figure of Marisa van der Meer, who made a great fist of the central defensive role in which she was deployed in the absence of the injured Kate Taylor.
Seconds later, the base of the far post thwarted Melbourne's bid to double their advantage, Chidiac the player most frustrated by this development, while after Markovski got the better of van der Meer, the lass with the eye-catching eyelashes found herself trying to pick out a team-mate with a low cross when Vosper and Isabel Gomez were patrolling Wellington's penalty area - fat chance!
In stoppage time, Melbourne went close once more when combative midfielder Alana Murphy's corner picked out fellow substitute Briedis. Her header was directed past the far upright, but that which Ayres netted at the end of the first half proved suffice for the home team to get the title-holders back to winning ways in their quest to clinch a championship three-peat.
Melbourne: Dumont; Nash, Bunge, Morrison, Simon (Briedis, 46); Chidiac (booked, 43), Eliadis (Murphy, 46), Kellond-Knight; Privitelli (Zois, 75), Ayres (Markovski, 75), Goad
Wellington: Edwards; Cicco (Vosper, 67), Barry, van der Meer, Foster; Knott (booked, 63), Hassett, Whinham (Gomez, 67 (booked, 78)); Satchell (McMeeken, 88), Pritchard, Robertson (Clegg, 61)
Referee: Kate Jacewicz
|