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10Dec22
Wellington Endure Capital Punishment In Canberra
by Jeremy Ruane
Wellington Phoenix's horror start to the Liberty A-League continued at McKellar Park on December 10 as Canberra United inflicted a 3-0 defeat on Natalie Lawrence's charges which leaves them rooted to the bottom of the table with no points from four games.
The home team were all over Wellington like a rash in the first half, threatening inside the first sixty seconds when Michelle Heyman surged onto a loose ball and charged into the penalty area, only to be thwarted by the covering figure of Michaela Foster, who kept pace with the former Matildas striker then blocked her shot to safety.
Canberra's next attack of note saw the deadlock broken in the ninth minute. Alyssa Whinham was caught in possession by Grace Maher, who sent Heyman through the inside left channel, from where she delivered a low cross into the goalmouth.
Vesna Milivojevic's shot appeared to strike the outstretched arm of a Wellington player, but the ball rebounded to Maher, who evaded a challenge before deftly chipping Brianna Edwards from fifteen yards.
Two minutes later, United came within the width of an upright of doubling their lead. Betsy Hassett lost possession to Laura Hughes just outside the penalty area, and the Canberra attacker promptly unleashed a shot which fizzed past the diving figure of Edwards, only to cannon to safety off the far post.
Wellington were all at sea defensively, and the Australian Capital Territory representatives looked to dip their bread accordingly. Former Wellington star Grace Jale, now sporting the green and black of Canberra, was chasing a league record of goals scored in consecutive matches in this game, and saw her first attempt to achieve it blocked by Mackenzie Barry.
The central defensive stalwart then produced a timely tackle to prevent Heyman from capitalising upon a poor clearance by Edwards, the goalkeeper having tipped an inswinging corner by Maher over her crossbar moments earlier.
Hassett then erred again - the Football Ferns veteran had a game best forgotten. Heyman was the beneficiary this time, but her shot lacked the power to trouble Edwards as the twenty minute mark rolled round.
Seven minutes later, Canberra doubled their advantage. Maher won the ball in midfield and instantly brought Milivojevic into play. She scooted through the inside left channel and could have pulled the trigger, but instead delivered an angled ball into the goalmouth which Heyman turned home via a deflection off the covering figure of Foster.
2-0 was very nearly 3-0 on the half-hour. Indeed, Canberra had the ball in the net, but Heyman's celebrations were cut short by referee Isabella Libri, who ruled that Milivojevic had fouled Hassett in the build-up to the opportunity.
Jale and Heyman then combined to open the door for Nickoletta Flannery, cutting in off the right flank, but Foster swiftly slammed it shut with another defensive block - quite where Wellington would be without the Lotto Northern Premier Women's League's Player of the Year in their ranks, Lord alone knows, but she was providing yeoman's service for the team in this trans-Tasman clash of the capitals.
The visitors rallied during the last fifteen minutes of the half. Debutant Emma Rolston went close, as did captain Chloe Knott with a headed attempt from a Claudia Cicco cross. But United had their
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opponents where they wanted them, and came close to scoring again on the stroke of half-time when Milivojevic's control failed her at the vital moment as she looked to capitalise upon a Heyman cross.
A harsh handball call against Knott in the 47th minute presented Maher with the chance to double her tally for the match from a free-kick, but she squandered the opportunity from just outside the penalty area.
Wellington retorted via a neat move featuring Foster and Rolston down the left, the overlapping fullback firing in a cross for Ava Pritchard who was unable to direct her volley on target in the 51st minute.
When she was afforded another opportunity seconds later, following Paige Satchell's cross on the run from the right, Pritchard deftly flicked the ball past Chloe Lincoln, only to look on in disbelief as the retreating figure of Sasha Grove got back to clear the ball off the line by the far post.
Wellington knew it wasn't meant to be for them in this game from that moment, a fact emphasised within sixty seconds as Canberra made it 3-0 thanks to another gift from their opponents.
Joining Whinham and Hassett in the dogbox this time was Edwards. On receipt of a pass from Barry, she made a pig's ear of clearing her lines, gifting the sphere to Milivojevic, who deftly back-heeled the ball into Heyman's stride - she was never going to miss an open goal from ten yards.
The home team continued to press for goals, with Grove, the hat-trick-hunting Heyman, Hughes and Canadian defender Kennedy Faulknor all going close in a ten-minute spell around the hour mark, during which Wellington looked to shore up their ranks by bringing on Mona Walker, who provided Hassett with some much-needed support in midfield.
The defence was the next area coach Lawrence addressed, although why Saskia Vosper isn't in Wellington's starting line-up, particularly given their present defensive struggles, defies logic. Put it this way - of the players in Wellington's squad, hers is one of the first three names penned in on this writer's starting list for every game they play.
Fellow substitute Michaela Robertson stung the gloves of Lincoln with a long-range effort moments before the goalkeeper was replaced by Keeley Richards, who capably dealt with a twenty-yarder from Foster in stoppage time after a neat move which also featured Barry and Pritchard.
In between times, Canberra had threatened twice more. Jale headed past the far post after Hayley Taylor-Young and Henman had combined on the left, while Edwards was right behind a Grace Taranto cross-shot seven minutes from time, the last fired in anger by a Canberra United team which had been assured of its first win of the campaign long before that attempt on goal.
Wellington's pursuit of same continues against Adelaide United at Sky Stadium next Saturday, their first double-header fixture, with the club's Isuzu Ute A-League side taking on the same club in the curtain-raiser.
Canberra: Lincoln (Richards, 79); Grove, McComasky, Faulknor, Ilijoski; Flannery (Taylor-Young, 59), Hughes, Maher (booked, 69) (Taranto, 79), Jale; Milivojevic, Heyman
Wellington: Edwards; Cicco (Vosper, 71), Barry, van der Meer, Foster; Knott, Hassett (McMeeken, 80), Whinham (Walker, 59); Satchell, Pritchard (booked, 54), Rolston (Robertson, 59)
Referee: Isabella Libri
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