The Wanderers were back on the road and made it count, hitting the front inside the first minute and doubling the advantage before the 20-minute mark.
Bennett was at the heart of both goals, scoring one and setting up the other for Bahr, and Geoff Abrahams’ 3-5-2 then held firm to sit on the lead and seal the points in a fixture that has rarely gone the visitors’ way.
- Final score: Canberra United 0-2 Western Sydney Wanderers at McKellar Park
- Milly Bennett scored in the 1st minute, then set up Elexa Bahr for the second in the 19th
- Sarah Langman and the back three kept a clean sheet against a Canberra side that had 15 shots
- A rare success in this fixture, with the Wanderers having won only three of the previous 21 meetings
First half
The Wanderers made the perfect start at McKellar Park, striking inside the first minute. Milly Bennett took Allyssa Ng-Saad’s pass and fired a right-footed shot from the centre of the box into the top left corner to put the visitors in front.
The visitors kept pushing forward with confidence. Ng-Saad went close with a header from a Sofia Sakalis cross in the 12th minute, forcing Sally James into a save, and Brooke Miller had a shot blocked a minute later after being set up by Talia Younis.
In the 19th minute the visitors doubled the advantage. Bennett turned provider, delivering a cross from which Elexa Bahr made no mistake, finishing with her left foot from the centre of the box into the bottom left corner to make it 2-0.
Canberra pushed for a response, with Sarah Morgan having a couple of efforts early on and Michelle Heyman twice threatening from close range straight after the second goal, but the Wanderers stayed organised. Elizabeth Anton was shown a yellow card for a foul in the 37th minute.
The visitors finished the half on the front foot, with Younis testing James from distance and Miller heading just wide from a corner before the break. The Wanderers went in at the interval two goals to the good.
Second half
Canberra came out after the restart looking for a way back, and the Wanderers had to stay switched on early. Madison Ayson’s attempt from very close range was saved by Sarah Langman, and the visitors then answered through Allyssa Ng-Saad, whose shot from a tight angle on the right just missed the target after Milly Bennett had picked her out.
The hosts kept pressing after their changes on 54 and 61 minutes, and the back three of Laura Pickett, Tiana Jaber and Silje Bjørneboe stood firm. Michelle Heyman struck the right post just after the hour, and the visitors survived a spell of efforts that flew wide or were blocked.
Geoff Abrahams made his first changes on 70 minutes, with Carleigh Frilles and Nikkita Fazzari replacing Bennett and Sofia Sakalis. Langman held a long-range effort from Hayley Taylor-Young, and Samantha Iredale then came on for Ng-Saad on 75 as the side kept its shape and kept Canberra at arm’s length.
Tempers frayed late on. Elexa Bahr was booked for time wasting in the 79th minute, while Canberra’s Sienna Dale and Lily McMahon were both cautioned for fouls as the hosts grew more desperate. Langman made another save from a Kelli Brown header, and Canberra’s changes on 83 minutes brought a final push from set pieces that went begging.
Isabella Chidiac replaced Bahr in the 90th minute and had the last effort of the night from outside the box, as the Wanderers held firm through four minutes of added time to seal the win. Canberra finished with 15 shots, three on target and nine corners, but Langman made three saves and the clean sheet was secured.
Full time
For the Wanderers, this was a statement result on the road: a 2-0 win at McKellar Park that was built on a lightning start and then held firm. The early two-goal cushion was never surrendered, and the organisation and belief behind the 3-5-2 showed in the way the side saw it out. The visitors finished with 51.3% of possession and four shots on target from ten attempts, and they made them count, which was a fair reflection of a deserved away win.
The win carries extra weight given the history. Canberra had won 12 of the previous 21 meetings, with six draws and only three victories for the Wanderers, so this is just the club’s fourth win in the fixture. Securing all three points and keeping the opposition scoreless is a platform to build on, and a result the travelling faithful can savour as the side heads home with renewed confidence.
Next match
The Wanderers are back on home soil on Friday 20 November to host Wellington Phoenix in Round 6 of the Australian A-League Women, with the chance to keep pace with the leaders at the top of the table.
