Wellington Phoenix's eye-catching transformation under former Young Ferns coach Paul Temple continued unabated at Jerry Collins Stadium on 12 November as they swept aside Western United 3-1 in front of 1746 fans at the newest Liberty A-League venue. Inside the first 75 seconds of the contest, Chloe Knott charged after a through ball, forcing a rushed clearance from Grace Maher. She directed the ball straight to Hope Breslin, who combined with Mariana Speckmaier and Michaela Foster to create an opening which saw Kate Taylor send a twenty-yarder sizzling narrowly over the bar. Two minutes later, Marisa Van der Meer blocked Adriana Taranto's fifteen yard drive as the visitors set out their stall, something they emphasised via a seventh minute attack in which Hannah Keane got the better of Michaela Foster on the right before delivering a cross which Chloe Logarzo headed past the far post. Back came Wellington, Breslin picking out Speckmaier in between two opponents, whom she evaded before pulling her shot past both Western goalkeeper Alyssa Dall'oste and the far post in the eleventh minute. Western went straight down the other end, producing a wonderful interchange involving Logarzo, Keane and Taranto, whose fifteen yard drive slammed against the crossbar - a real let-off for Wellington, which was followed soon after by a sizzling Kahli Johnson drive which flashed across the face of goal. Still United pressed, Johnson seeing a shot blocked by Mackenzie Barry before Tyla Jay Vlajnic sent the striker storming down the left, from where she drew a parried save from Rylee Foster. Wellington withstood the visitors' early barrage, calmed the game down before lifting the tempo again in the 27th minute. Michaela Foster picked out Van der Meer from a corner which the defender headed into the danger zone. Knott looked to turn it home, but did so from an offside position. Two minutes later, Macey Fraser and Michaela Foster teamed up, the fullback then working a one-two with Breslin before delivering a cross which cannoned off Knott to Speckmaier. She combined with Fraser to spread play wide to Emma Main, whose cross was diverted for a corner. Foster's delivery from this set-piece arced into the near post area, and wasn't cleared by Western - a fatal error, as Knott swooped to stab home the opening goal on the half-hour, to the delight of the natives. Western were under the pump, and nearly conceded a second soon afterwards, in the aftermath of Breslin being fouled on the edge of the area. Foster played the free-kick short to Fraser, whose drive was parried by Dall'Oste. Knott was in like Flynn for the rebound, but saw her shot cannon off a defender. Main, too, saw her resulting shot blocked by United's rearguard, the rebound from this falling to Knott. Both she and Breslin tried to wriggle through the defence before Foster, who invited Fraser to deliver further problems from wide left. Western survived, but how only they will know - 'twas an unbelievable sequence of play. More Wellington pressure materialised in the 36th minute, Foster's free-kick striking Logarzo. The rebound fell to Speckmaier, who couldn't believe her eyes when Dall'Oste blocked the striker's shot with her face. United survived again, but it wasn't long before their hosts were hounding them again in pursuit of a second goal. Main this time exploited an opening on the right before delivering a cross which found Breslin completely unmarked on the far post. But she snatched at the volley and fired wildly over. The pressure had to tell, and four minutes before half-time, Wellington doubled their lead in stunning

fashion, Fraser picking out the top far corner with a scorching twenty yard free-kick which left Dall'Oste clutching at air - 2-0. Stung by this blow, Western twice looked to get back into the contest before half-time via crosses from Emma Robers and Alana Cerne. Michaela Foster prevented the former's delivery from finding its way to Keane, while the latter's cross was punched out by Rylee Foster to Taranto, who didn't have a chance to pull the trigger before the goalkeeper was hurtling out to save at her feet. United looked to carry that momentum into the second spell, with Keane going down under Barry's challenge three minutes into the half. Referee Beth Rattray rebuffed the visitors' penalty claims, allowing Wellington to take up the challenge and threaten twice inside the next four minutes. Fraser and Speckmaier combined on the left, the latter's low cross for Main resulting in a shot blocked by Vlajnic, who was one of many United players looking on with relief in the 52nd minute as the Venezuelan striker was just inches away from turning home Foster's angled low free-kick from distance. It was Rylee Foster's turn to grab the spotlight soon after, twice saving at the feet of Keane as she looked to latch onto through balls from Logarzo and Taranto. The 'keeper then looked on as Johnson sent the ball soaring over the bar, having played to the whistle when Barry was fouled by Keiwa Hieda - referee Rattray regarded the incident as within the Laws of the Game. Unperturbed, Barry was back on the front foot seconds later, her interception preventing Keane from firing home a cross from Hieda. The striker recovered the ball and brought Jaclyn Sawicki into play, but she dragged her shot past the far post. Twenty minutes from time, Barry - she was a monster in this match - intervened yet again to frustrate Keane, with Robers looking to curl home the loose ball unsuccessfully. Rylee Foster grabbed the sphere and sparked an instant counter-attack in which namesake Michaela and Annalie Longo worked a one-two before the fullback's teasing cross was caught by the wind - it wouldn't be a Wellington home game if that attribute didn't contribute to proceedings! The retreating Stacey Papadopoulos bravely headed the ball out from underneath her crossbar before crashing into the post, a blow from which she recovered after treatment, much to Western's relief. Wellington continued to press, with a corner from Foster arcing to the far post. Speckmaier saw her header blocked on the line by Cerne, but the home team had more joy from Foster's next corner, in the 76th minute, her wicked delivery being turned into her own net by Hieda, the luckless substitute. That made it 3-0 to Wellington, to which Western responded by finishing the game strongly. The covering Kate Taylor prevented Hieda from making amends by latching onto a Logarzo pass, while the former Matilda's ball over the top for Keane prompted a volley on the edge of the area which was blocked in timely fashion by Van der Meer. Foster produced two saves to deny Keane in stoppage time, bravely diving at her feet having flying to her right to keep out a low drive. But Western were determined to have the final say, and were rewarded for their persistence by scoring with the last kick of the game, Logarzo curling home a twenty yarder beyond the flying figure of Foster, who was frustrated at being denied a clean sheet deep in stoppage time, 3-1 the final score. Wellington:     R. Foster; Davidson (Lake, 78), Barry, van der Meer, M. Foster; Fraser, Taylor, Knott (Longo, 58); Main (Elliott, 58), Speckmaier (Brown, 82), Breslin Western:     Dall'oste; Papadopoulos, Cerne (booked, 77), Maher, Vlajnic; Johnson (Richards, 77), Robers, Taranto (booked, 40 (Hieda, 58)), Sawicki, Logarzo; Keane Referee:     Beth Rattray