Western Sydney Wanderers earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw with league leaders Canberra United at Wanderers Football Park on Saturday, thanks to a late cameo from 17-year-old Milly Bennett.
Her first Ninja A-League goal and a decisive block in the closing stages secured the Red & Black their first point in almost a month and capped off one of their most encouraging performances of the season.
The visitors immediately asserted themselves, dominating possession in the opening stages. Canberra’s pressure paid off when Elizabeth Anton reacted quickest at the near post to Nanako Sasaki’s corner, poking the ball through a crowded goalmouth to give United a 1-0 lead early on.
From there, the match settled into a physical and competitive midfield battle, with both sides struggling to create clear-cut chances before half-time.
Canberra went close through Michelle Heyman, whose header went wide before a powerful drive was well-saved by Sham Khamis, while the Wanderers had a golden opportunity themselves when Ena Harada’s deflected effort forced a reflex save from Sally James. Alana Cerne then fired over from close range as the first 45 minutes ended with the visitors leading narrowly.
The second half began with Canberra again pressing, but Western Sydney gradually grew into the contest. Momentum swung in the Wanderers’ favour when Bennett capitalised on a well-worked attack. Kim So-Eun chased a long ball from Olivia Price and shifted it to Yuan Cong, who swept it across the area to Bennett.
The youngster’s composed first touch allowed her to drive a low shot into the bottom left corner for her first goal at Ninja A-League level, sending the home crowd into raptures.
Bennett then continued her heroics at the other end of the field, producing a crucial block to deny Bethany Gordon a near-post winner with ten minutes remaining. Both sides traded late chances, but neither could find a winner, and the match ended 1-1.
For the Wanderers, the draw marks a positive step forward, highlighting their growing confidence and resilience against one of the league’s top sides.
Bennett’s breakthrough performance, combined with key contributions from her teammates, showed what the Red & Black can achieve when they execute their game plan effectively.
