Canberra United have claimed third spot on the NINJA A-League ladder with a gritty 3-2 win over Adelaide at McKellar Park.
Bethany Gordon opened the scoring for the hosts after just nine minutes and Sarah Morgan turned home an equaliser in the 26th. Despite a late strike from Sian Dewey, it was an own-goal from Ilona Melegh and a close-range rocket from Emma Hawkins that gave Canberra a well-deserved win at McKellar Park.
The win puts Canberra above Adelaide and into third in the NINJA A-League women’s table. Both teams sit five points clear of fifth, and will want to finish their season well to secure a home ground advantage when the playoffs begin.
The hosts made their early possession count after nine minutes when Emma Hawkins received the ball with her back to goal, swivelled and slipped it through to Bethany Gordon who kept a cool head and stroked it into the bottom left corner.
They could have doubled their lead just five minutes later, when Nanako Sasaki’s long-range effort was spilled by Ilona Melegh, but she rose quickly to smother the follow-up from Gordon.
The visitors got their equaliser in the 26th minute when Erin Healy surged into the box, nutmegging Tegan Bertolissio in the process, and when her pull-back bounced through to Sarah Morgan, she took her time and converted low to the keepers’ right.
Sasha Grove provided a late spark to the first half when she received the ball after a corner and lofted a shot from outside of the box that drifted and dipped into the crossbar, the follow-up was blocked and floated easily into the gloves of Melegh.
Tempers were flaring in a stop-start second half but the first noteworthy moment arrived after 68 minutes when Matilda McNamara was pressured into playing an awkward, spinning backpass that deceived her goalkeeper and rolled agonisingly across the line with Melegh in desperate pursuit.
Canberra doubled their lead when Gordon was played in behind perfectly by Josephine Aulicino and her cut-back bounced off a defender and was smacked into the top right by Hawkins, who had been relentless in her pressing of the Adelaide back-line throughout the afternoon.
As the board was raised to announce six minutes of stoppage time, Adelaide substitute Sian Dewey drilled home an excellent effort from longe range to breathe life into the closing stages, but Canberra clung on and deserved the three points.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
WHAT THEY SAID
Emma Hawkins
Ella Tonkin
