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10Dec23
Wellington And Melbourne Share Spoils In Porirua
by Jeremy Ruane
Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory fought out a gruelling 2-2 draw at Jerry Collins Stadium on 10 December, with all the goals in this Liberty A-League fixture being scored in the first half of this wind-affected contest, one witnessed by just 692 patrons - quite the comedown from the NZ record crowd to watch Wellington's last home game in Auckland!
The visitors set out their stall early, McKenzie Weinert initially getting the better of first starter Rebecca Lake - one of a number of changes to Wellington's starting line-up brought about by travel, injury and the unanticipated departure of midfield general Chloe Knott - before getting a bit too cocky in the penalty area, allowing Lake to retrieve the situation.
Three minutes later, the retreating Hailey Davidson gifted possession to Rachel Lowe, who invited Beattie Goad to unleash an angled grass-cutting drive which careered across the face of goal.
Goad featured again two minutes later, working a one-two with Elise Kellond-Knight before delivering a gorgeous cross which picked out Lowe, who was flying in to meet it. She somehow directed her header past the far post - scoring seemed to be the easier option.
Still Melbourne pressed, with Goad again the catalyst of chaos in the eighth minute. This time, her cross was cleared to Jessika Nash, who picked out the run of Kurea Okino. Her shot on the turn was directed straight at Rylee Foster, who was afforded no chance on the quarter hour as the visitors took a deserved lead.
Goad, inevitably, was involved, but this time it was via the delivery of a straightforward set-piece. Her corner picked out the head of captain Kayla Morrison, who, eight yards out from goal at the near post, guided the ball beyond all-comers and in by the foot of the far post.
It was a poor goal to concede from Wellington's perspective, but how they responded to the setback! Within nine minutes, Paul Temple's charges struck twice to take the lead, a situation which hadn't looked remotely possible given Melbourne's early dominance.
'Twas a corner from which the home team equalised. Hope Breslin's delivery arced beyond the far post to Mariana Speckmaier, who headed it into the goalmouth as Melbourne players raised their arms claiming that the ball had crossed the dead-ball line. Kate Taylor, meanwhile, played to the whistle and gleefully headed home from point-blank range - 1-1.
Melbourne's protests fell on deaf ears as far as referee Anna-Marie Keighley was concerned, but the visitors didn't have a leg to stand on when they conceded a second goal in the 24th minute - this was a cracker!
Following initial good work by Breslin, Macey Fraser invited Kelli Brown to run at the defence, and from twenty-five yards she battered the ball goalwards. Her shot slammed against the crossbar with Lydia Williams beaten all ends up, and the in-rushing Emma Main gleefully headed home the rebound from close range - a well-taken finish.
Melbourne didn't take kindly to these developments, and set about restoring parity almost immediately. Alana Murphy combined with Weinert to present Lowe with a headed chance which she directed past the post in the 27th minute, while a drive from the same player five minutes later was parried to safety by Foster, after Lake had headed clear from a Goad corner.
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Parity was restored on the scoreboard eight minutes before half-time. Goad once more proved pivotal in the move, her slide-rule pass allowing Okino to round the approaching figure of Foster and find the far corner of the net from a tight angle - a great finish to make it 2-2.
Before half-time, Foster denied Murphy, while Williams foiled Main after Fraser had gone close with a free-kick. Within twenty seconds of the second half starting, the Matildas' goalkeeper had been called upon again, this time flying to her left to keep out a thirty yarder from the rampaging figure of Speckmaier, the attacking spearhead running herself into the ground for the cause in this encounter.
Cue a spell in which the challenges came in thick, fast and ferocious, resulting in a lot of broken play and few opportunities of note as the quality of the spectacle fell away in the trying conditions.
Indeed, there were just two threats on goal of note in the next forty minutes, with Foster denying Weinert in the 54th minute, to which Speckmaier responded by evading two challenges on the left, only to have her progress curtailed by Tori Hansen's no-nonsense intervention seconds later.
The athleticism and whole-hearted efforts of Zoe McMeeken were a feature of this contest, but six minutes from time Weinert got the better of the fullback, cut inside and let fly. Foster saved by her near post - the first meaningful shot in the match for well over thirty minutes!
It sparked a late flurry of goalmouth action at both ends of the park as both teams looked to clinch all three points. Wellington responded through the "dream team" of Fraser and Alyssa Whinham, two of the country's most talented technicians, operating in tandem for the first time at this level.
They combined to send Speckmaier storming through the middle of the park, only for the striker to send her shot soaring beyond the approaching figure of Williams and over the crossbar when a touch more composure would likely have seen her clinch victory at Victory's expense.
Wellington pressed again, Whinham engineering an opening upon which Breslin was unable to capitalise. Then in the ninetieth minute, Whinham and fellow substitute Manaia Elliott combined to thwart Goad, with McMeeken latching onto the loose ball and inviting Fraser to do what Fraser does so well - create mayhem in the opposing rearguard!
Speckmaier was the initial beneficiary of her team-mate's instinctiveness, the striker then bringing Breslin into play. She evaded a challenge before letting fly, only to direct her shot straight at Williams.
She sparked a counter-attack which culminated in Foster denying Weinert, after which Wellington piled on the pressure in search of a stoppage time winner. Whinham saw a shot blocked, while the covering figure of Jamilla Rankin prevented Elliott from converting Breslin's cross in a stirring finale. 2-2 it remained, however, Wellington retaining their third placing in this contest with one of the teams above them on the table.
Wellington: R. Foster; Davidson (booked, 35), Taylor (M. Foster, 72), Lake, McMeeken; Breslin, Longo (Whinham, 72), Fraser; Main (Elliott, 60), Speckmaier, Brown (Barry, 60)
Melbourne: Williams; Nash (Zois, 63), Morrison, Hansen, Rankin; Lowe (D'Appolonia, 82), Murphy (Checker, 90), Kellond-Knight; Weinert (booked, 58), Okino (O'Grady, 63), Goad
Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley
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