The Illawarra Stingrays have defeated the Western Sydney Wanderers Women’s NPL side 3-1 at Macedonia Park.
A super-sub led final ten minutes of the game was not enough for the Wanderers to claw back a three goal deficit, as they fell to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Illawarra Stingrays.
The opening twenty minutes of the game was a battle of resistance as both sides managed to push away any attacking threat. Gemma Ferris played a key role, denying three raids down the right side in a testing opening sequence.
The opener came in the 22nd minute of the game, as Siobhan Edwards proved too quick for Maya Lobo to roll it past Goalkeeper Aimee Hall to put the Stingrays in front.
Alexia Karrys-Stahl doubled their lead ten minutes later, following a misplaced Estella Cameron clearance. The deflected shot found its way to the top corner despite Hall’s best efforts to keep it out.
Leyla Etherington pounced on ball in behind the Red & Black defence to beat Aimee Hall and collect the spoils to grab her second goal involvement of the game, following her assist to Edwards for the first Illawarra goal.
Estella Cameron came to the rescue three minutes into the second half, as she cleared the ball off the line to deny the Stingrays their fourth from a corner. Cameron then found herself on the end of the Wanderers’ first threatening shot on target, finding the target from distance, although it was saved comfortably by Stingray’s Goalkeeper Kiara Rochaix.
Fortunes began to turn with the introduction of Alyssa McKenzie and Olivia Vanderlaan, the pair came on and were able to swing the momentum of the game back in the favour of the Red & Black through their driving ability into dangerous areas.
McKenzie and Vanderlaar combined for the Wanderers only goal in the 81st minute, as McKenzie’s awareness inside the box allowed her to poke it in at the back post.
Although it was Stingray’s Goalkeeper Kiara Rochaix who proved the difference as she managed to save four very promising attempts on goal in the final twenty minutes of the game to deny the Wanderers a remarkable comeback.
The Wanderers showed great resilience in the final 20 minutes, nearly overcoming a three-goal deficit with a strong finish. They’ll take plenty of positives from that fightback as they prepare to face the Gladesville Ravens at Wanderers Football Park on Sunday.
