The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home
011124 | 101124 | 171124 | 221124 | 081224 | 131224 | 211224 | 281224 | 040125 | 090125 | 120125 | 190125 | 260125 | 020225 | 080225 | 160225
260125
Wellington Out Of Sorts In Woy Woy
by Jeremy Ruane
Wellington Phoenix's struggles on the road returned with a vengeance at Woy Woy Oval on 26 January, a 1-0 defeat by the Central Coast Mariners seeing the victors overtake the vanquished on the Ninja A-League Women's standings.
Paul Temple's charges were well out of sorts in this match, their attacks all too often lacking inspiration and coordination against opponents who just seemed to have the edge in most areas of the park, and would have done so in Wellington's defensive third too, but for the combined efforts of Mackenzie Barry - back to her best in this match - and Tiana Jaber, the visitors' best-performed players in this attritional encounter.
Central Coast looked the team more likely to score from the outset, carving out three openings in the first sixteen minutes. Jade Pennock created the first of them, picking out Tiana Fuller in the seventh minute. Jaber blocked her first attempt, while her second flew past Carolina Vilao's left-hand post.
Four minutes later, Wellington's goalkeeper raced out to clear the danger posed by the fast-approaching figure of Annalise Rasmussen, who was looking to get on the end of Bianca Galic's through ball despite the attentions of Barry.
She was outpaced by the lanky number eleven on the quarter hour as Rasmussen looked to exploit Jessika Nash's probing ball forward. The striker duly fed Fuller, who was foiled at close quarters by Vilao, the 'keeper spreading herself well to thwart her opponent.
Wellington's first noteworthy effort on goal materialised on the half-hour through Grace Jale, who outmuscled Sarah Rowe before skipping past Nash to leave herself with a clear sight of goal on the edge of the penalty area. But instead of testing Sarah Langman, she opted to play a pass towards the well-marked Olivia Fergusson - a great chance spurned by the Football Fern.
Central Coast responded with another flurry of opportunities in the next fifteen minutes, the first of which saw Pennock fire a twenty-yarder straight at Vilao, who dodged a bullet in the 38th minute.
Taylor Ray was on the charge, and looked to thread the ball through to Rasmussen. Jaber was there first, but was forced to play the ball back to Vilao under pressure. The ball rebounded off the goalkeeper and just past Rasmussen, allowing Jaber to clear her lines - either this was an instinctive one-two played by the central defender, or she needs to buy a Lotto ticket on her way home!
The resulting corner saw Annabel Martin's delivery headed over the bar by Galic, who sent a twenty-yarder flashing past the post in the 43rd minute after Lara Wall had been caught in possession by Rowe. Barry tackled the midfielder, with the ball breaking to Galic, allowing her to chance her arm from just outside the penalty area.
Wellington carved out two chances in first half stoppage time, the first of which was engineered by Maya McCutcheon, who found herself in a titanic midfield battle throughout this match, often finding herself outnumbered as she strove to serve the cause.
On this occasion, she pinged the ball over the
|
defence to send the largely anonymous Manaia Elliott scampering down the right. Her first-time cross found Jale arriving at the near post six yards out from goal, but if any proof was needed that the striker was off her game on this occasion, the sight of the ball soaring towards Woy Woy's main street was all the evidence that was required.
Jale looked to make amends in the last attack of the half, winning the ball well on the right before picking out the unmarked figure of Fergusson. She was closed down well by Langman, however, and the teams turned around with the scoreboard operator having been unemployed during the opening forty-five minutes.
That remained the case for a further nine minutes, at which point Brooke Nunn accelerated over halfway before picking out Fuller on her right. With three opponents closing her down, she checked inside and let rip a rising twenty-five yarder which arced over the diving figure of Vilao and crashed into the net via the far post - 1-0 Central Coast, a lead their attacking efforts merited.
Wellington looked to respond via Fergusson on the hour, but just as she was about to pull the trigger, having dashed through the inside right channel, Ray produced a stunning recovering tackle to deny the striker a shot on goal - a brilliant piece of defensive play.
More Wellington pressure soon followed, largely via corners taken by Annalie Longo and Elliott. Langman found herself under siege, but her defence stood firm, save for Longo's 64th minute delivery which found Jale soaring above all-comers to direct a header downwards and goalwards. Langman dived to her left to stop it on the line.
That was as close as the visitors came to levelling the scores. They tried a few long-range efforts - Langman was little troubled by these - but with Alyssa Whinham being well policed by Tess Quilligan, it just wasn't happening for Wellington, and they looked a beaten side long before the final whistle.
Their lone threat in the time remaining came four minutes from the end, when Wall won the ball on the left then linked up with Longo for a one-two. The fullback's low cross fizzed past Langham, but Ray was on hand to tidy things up, much like Barry and Jaber had with anything Central Coast mustered in the final half-hour.
Like their opponents, they, too, resorted to long-range efforts which gave Vilao scant cause for concern, their only threat in the final half-hour coming in stoppage time, when Shae Evans' cross from the right saw Jaber soar between Peta Trimis and Pennock to head clear, the last act of note in a contest which won't be remembered as one of the greatest games in history - far from it!
Central Coast: Langman (booked, 90); Rowe, Nash, Ray, Martin; Quilligan (Trimis, 79), Nunn (Kraszula, 69), Galic; Pennock, Rasmussen (Evans, 69), Fuller (Seaman, 86)
Wellington: Vilao; Jaber, Kelly, Barry, Wall (McMeeken, 87); Whinham (Ingham, 74), McCutcheon, Longo; Elliott, Fergusson (Main, 69), Jale (booked, 26)
Referee: Rachael Mitchenson
|