Hayley Raso and MacKenzie Arnold starred as Brisbane Roar got their first victory of the Westfield W-League 2019/20 Season, while Gema Simon was instrumental in Newcastle Jets’ victory.
Emily van Egmond was among the goals again for Melbourne City, while there was no splitting the Westfield Matildas contingent in Melbourne on Saturday afternoon.
Read on for a full wrap of your Westfield Matildas in the Westfield W-League.
Raso’s royal display kick-starts Roar’s campaign
After two straight defeats, only a win would do for Brisbane Roar against Canberra United in the nation’s capital on Thursday night, and they got just that thanks to a couple of their Westfield Matildas stars.
Raso, still wearing a bandage on her injured arm, set-up the opening goal for Tameka Yallop as the visitors made the perfect start.
After playing provider for the first, Raso then scored the second as she raced onto a long ball over the top from keeper MacKenzie Arnold and then noded past the advancing keeper.
It was a brave finish from Raso, who marked her first goal of the campaign with a royal wave as her celebration.
Arnold, who recorded her first-ever assist with that long pass, then had to show all her quality in her own box to preserve Roar’s 2-1 lead late on.
Leena Khamis’ well-placed header looked destined for the net until a full-stretch Arnold clawed the ball around the post.
Katrina Gorry and Clare Polkinghorne also played important roles for Roar, while Karly Roestbakken notched another 90 minutes for United.
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Harrison’s Wanderers held by Victory
Western Sydney Wanderers’ perfect start to the campaign came to a halt in a pulsating 1-1 draw with defending Premiers Melbourne Victory on Saturday.
Despite conceding inside eight minutes through Haley Hanson’s goal, the Wanderers dominated the early exchanges.
They went close to equalising before the break, with Amy Harrison, Kristen Hamilton and Kyra Cooney-Cross all forcing Victory keeper Casey Dumont into vital saves, before Lynn Williams eventual levelled the scores just after the hour mark.
For Victory, Jenna McCormick did a sterling job up against the Westfield W-League’s lethal combination of Williams and Hamilton.
Fellow defender Teigen Allen, who played 52 minutes for Victory, almost got on the scoresheet for Victory, with her early cross-turned-shot bouncing back off the cross bar.
Super Simon helps Jets soar over Glory
Victory was paramount for both clubs in the west and it was the visitors from the Hunter who held on for a much-needed 2-1 win at Dorrien Gardens.
After Nikki Flannery’s goal had the Jets 1-0 up at the break, Gema Simon was instrumental in doubling that advantage early in the second half.
Simon combined with Tara Andrews with the latter forcing her way into the penalty area, before stepping inside to open room for a pin-point finish in off the crossbar.
City too slick for Sydney FC
Two of the competition’s big guns clashed on Sunday and they did not disappoint, with Melbourne City edging out champions Sydney FC 2-1 at Cromer Park.
It took just three minutes for City to take the lead, with Emily van Egmond finishing off a clinical counter-attack for her third goal of the season.
Lydia Williams had an excellent game between the sticks for City, showing great reflexes to deny both Princess Ibini and Remy Siemsen from finishing off clear-cut chances.
Westfield Matildas playmaker Chloe Logarzo manufactured the Sky Blues equaliser, picking out Sofia Huerta with a lofted ball, with the American holding off her defender and burying her chance.
Kyah Simon, Steph Catley and Ellie Carpenter were all sensational for the visitors, with the latter’s cross leading to City’s winning goal, scored by Serbian Milica Mijatovic.
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