The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home
011124 | 101124 | 171124 | 221124 | 081224 | 131224 | 211224 | 281224 | 040125 | 090125 | 120125 | 190125 | 260125 | 020225 | 080225 | 160225
160225
Perth Too Good For Wellington In Distance Derby
by Jeremy Ruane
Perth Glory hit the woodwork three times as they proved too good for Wellington Phoenix in the latest "Distance Derby" on February 16, the home team prevailing 2-1 in this Ninja A-League Women's encounter at the Sam Kerr Football Centre.
The game got off to a firecracker start, with eight chances in the first fifteen minutes, the majority of which saw Wellington enjoying the better of possession. Indeed, they carved out the first of those openings, Olivia Fergusson forcing her way through on goal just two minutes into play.
Alas for the striker, she encountered the rock-like Naomi Thomas-Chinnama who curtailed her progress towards goal, but she kept on going, and was nearly rewarded, just failing to charge down a clearance by Miranda Templeman, a late call-up to Perth's starting line-up with Casey Dumont picking up an injury which will sideline her for a few weeks.
A Wellington blunder while in possession in the seventh minute forced Carolina Vilao into a hurried clearance with two Perth players bearing down on her. Within seconds, a raking clearance from Templeman ricocheted kindly for Caitlin Doeglas, whose thirty yard effort arced over the stranded figure of Vilao, only to clear the crossbar.
Encouraged by that close call, the natives kept on coming, Vilao forced to turn a Kelli Brown shot round the post, the former Wellington striker being set up by Sarah O'Donoghue, whose first half display was of the eye-catching variety.
Back came the visitors, inevitably led by captain Annalie Longo. She invited Manaia Elliott to let fly in the twelfth minute, but Templeman flew to her right to maintain parity on the scoreboard.
Cue a Perth response, Isobel Dalton thundering a thirty yarder off the crossbar after Wellington gave the ball away cheaply in their own defensive third. The rebound sparked a counter-attack which culminated in Maya McCutcheon skipping past two before picking out Grace Jale with a cross. Her shot was blocked by Oni Zogg.
Within seconds, Fergusson squandered a glorious opportunity to open the scoring, dragging her shot across the face of goal having been left with just Templeman to beat by a delicious reverse pass from Longo on the quarter hour.
The game couldn't go on at this breakneck pace, particularly given the heat the game was being played in - mandatory water breaks halfway through each half were part of the equation in this encounter.
The first of them broke up that early momentum, with Jale's side-netting rattler from twenty-five yards the only shot of note by either team in the second third of the half. But Wellington's good work was undone in the 31st minute by an unlikely source.
A poor clearance by Vilao found Dalton in prime position to take advantage, and after working a one-two with O'Donoghue, she did so, arrowing a shot past the recovering goalkeeper and into the far corner of the net - 1-0 Perth.
The goal rocked the visitors, and before they had shown signs of recovering from the setback they nearly conceded a second goal six minutes before half-time. A stray pass from Longo was pounced on by O'Donoghue, who worked an opening with Dalton for the benefit of Doeglas. Her deft twenty yard chip hit the crossbar.
Wellington responded through McCutcheon - a blocked shot - and Elliott - she shot straight at Templeman. And after referee Molly Godsell ruled that Kelly hadn't fouled Zogg as she looked to get on the end of a Dalton free-kick, Paul Temple's charges drew level in first half stoppage time.
The charging figure of Longo inevitably had a hand in proceedings, her angled run towards the box concluding with a slick reverse pass which
|
presented Fergusson with the chance to redeem herself. Top far corner, mission accomplished - 1-1.
Both sides could have scored in the time remaining before the half-time whistle blew. Doeglas got the better of Daisy Brazendale and set up O'Donoghue, whose curler around Mackenzie Barry kept on going past the far post, prompting a quick Longo-led counter-attack which culminated in Elliott's curling effort hitting the bar with the last kick of the half.
Wellington were gifted a great chance to open the scoring three minutes into the second half by Templeman, who swiftly made amends for her blunder by denying Fergusson, to whom she'd presented the ball on a plate in error.
After Barry had thwarted the progress of Brown, the visitors went close again in the 56th minute when O'Donoghue cleared a Brazendale effort off the line after an Elliott corner into the danger zone had prompted an almighty scramble.
It was Wellington's turn to clear off the line on the hour, Jaber and Fergusson combining to avert the danger posed by Dalton's corner, which was whipped into the heart of the goalmouth. But fortune wasn't so kind to the Lebanese international nineteen minutes from time.
Brown led the charge as Perth pressed for a winner, and raced forward after playing the ball across to Welsh winger Megan Wynne. Her angled ball into the box for Brown to exploit was a beauty, but the striker was beaten to it by the retreating figure of Jaber, who had the misfortune to direct her attempted clearance straight into the top far corner of the net - 2-1 Perth.
The visitors sought a swift riposte in a bid to restore parity for a second time. McCutcheon, Wall and Longo combined on the left in the 76th minute, but the combined efforts of Thomas-Chinnama and the tigerish Natalie Tathem - hers was a monstrous display - prevented Emma Main from getting on the end of the resulting cross.
Back came Perth, Brown firing in a free-kick which found Zogg in the mix on the far post. She got the better of Vilao, only to hit the post, with Wynne lashing the rebound past the same upright twelve minutes from time.
Considering they were trailing on the scoreboard, Wellington's lack of creativity in the time which remained was rather alarming. The concussion-enforced absence of Alyssa Whinham certainly didn't aid their cause in this regard, but Jale was too often on the fringes of this match, while Longo was guilty of trying too hard to make up for her team-mates' shortcomings.
The introduction of Ela Jerez offered late hope, and in stoppage time she combined with Jale to create an opening for Main, only for Tijan McKenna to step in at the right time from Perth's perspective.
Kelly then released Wall down the left, and she stormed past McKenna before picking out Fergusson with a cross which the striker headed narrowly past the near post, the last chance of the contest. Fergusson sank to her knees, hands on head …
She could have had a hat-trick in this match, but her only goal wasn't enough for Wellington on this occasion, and while five of their remaining seven fixtures are on home turf, they're fast getting into a position where they need to win the majority of them if they intend to play a part in the play-offs.
Perth: Templeman; McKenna, Zogg, Thomas-Chinnama, Johnston; Tathem, O'Donoghue (Wainwright, 72), Dalton; Wynne (Sunaga, 90), Brown (Roberts, 90), Doeglas (Abdul Massih, 64)
Wellington: Vilao; Jaber (Jerez, 79), Barry, Kelly, Wall; Elliott (McMeeken, 66), McCutcheon, Longo, Brazendale (Main, 66), Jale; Fergusson (booked, 83)
Referee: Molly Godsell
|