Our Wander Women are back at home for an exciting double header at CommBank Stadium against the Melbourne Victory.
Our Wander Women are back at home for an exciting double header at CommBank Stadium against the Melbourne Victory. It’s been a busy time for the Wanderers, who have had back-to-back away trips to Gosford and then Wellington.
Whilst the match against the Mariners ended in a thrilling stoppage time win thanks to Holly Caspers, the same unfortunately couldn’t be said about the match in New Zealand.
The Wanderers did take the lead through Bronte Trew midway through the first half as she capitalised on a big mistake at the back, but a second half onslaught from the Phoenix saw them score two goals to win 2-1.
It meant Western Sydney’s three game winning streak came to an end and saw them move a couple places down the table. Despite the late defeat, the performances from Geoff Abrahams’ side have been much more encouraging over the past month, and they will look to get straight back to winning ways and to build more momentum for the end of the season.
It won’t be an easy matchup against the Victory, who currently sit third on the A-League Women table after 19 rounds.
They are also unbeaten in their last eight matches, with their last defeat coming against Brisbane in January.
In that time they have won five games, and are still in with a chance of winning the minor premiership.
Emily Gielnik has been in brilliant form up front, scoring nine goals for the season, whilst Alana Jancevski has been impressive with four goals and three assists. They also have the equal best defensive record in the league, helped mainly by the form of Kayla Morrison in centre back.
Melbourne Victory closed the gap to just two points behind league leaders Melbourne City with a 2-0 win over Canberra United at the Home of the Matildas, courtesy of goals from Holly Furphy and Emily Gielnik. In challenging conditions in Melbourne, the breakthrough came in the 70th minute when substitute Holly Furphy found the net from a tight angle, securing her third goal in six matches.
Victory doubled their lead in the 83rd minute as Matildas forward Emily Gielnik rose highest at the near post to head home from a corner, sealing the result.
Goalkeeper Courtney Newbown ensured Victory’s clean sheet remained intact with a crucial stoppage-time save to deny Hayley Taylor-Young. With the win, Victory moves to within striking distance of top spot, just two points behind Melbourne City. Meanwhile, Canberra United missed the opportunity to climb into the top four and remain in seventh place.
Fans will be hoping for a match with the same excitement as the reverse fixture, which ended in plainly ridiculous circumstances.
After taking the lead, the Wanderers found themselves 4-2 down as stoppage time approached, with defeat seemingly imminent.
However, they staged a remarkable fightback to score two goals in three minutes through Talia Kapetanellis and Sophie Harding to secure a share of the points in a 4-4 draw. Those were Harding’s last goals of the season to date, with the Julie Dolan medal winner frustratingly missing the last few weeks due to injury.
Her teammates have picked up the slack, with Sienna Saveska continuing to impress in her breakout season, whilst Caspers and Trew have also been impactful in attack. They will need to have a big game again on Saturday, though the Wanderers will
be buoyed by having a large crowd supporting them in Parramatta.
They will also take confidence from the fact they actually defeated the Victory the last time they played them at home. Current skipper Amy Harrison was one of the two goalscorers on that evening as the Wanderers won 2-0, ending a long winless run against Melbourne.
It hasn’t been the easiest of seasons for the Wanderers, who have had lots of factors outside of their control conspire against them, but a win over Melbourne would be a huge confidence boost for a young side as they look to build foundations for next season.
It would also be a sign to the rest of the league that no team should take them lightly, and the Wanderers would love to claim a big scalp on a special double header evening.
