Melbourne Victory recruit Rachel Lowe has bagged her first two Liberty A-League goals in navy blue and white, scoring a brace in a 4-0 win over Newcastle Jets on Sunday afternoon.
It was a comfortable display from Victory from minute one to 90, with Lowe’s second-minute strike setting the tone for what was to come in a tough afternoon for the Jets at the Home of the Matildas.
Lowe’s second came in the 65th minute before substitute Ella O’Grady made it three, and a late Rebecca Burrows own goal put Victory well out of sight.
The convincing Victory performance was soured only by an injury to Emily Gielnik, who was brought on at half-time only to be withdrawn just 15 minutes later; post-game, Victory head coach Jeff Hopkins revealed Gielnik’s withdrawal was a precautionary measure as she experienced tightness in her calf.
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Victory took less than two minutes to open the scoring after a spillage from Newcastle Jets keeper Isobel Nino which allowed Lowe to swoop in and bag her first goal in Victory colours.
The cross from the right wing was aimed for Kurea Okino and Nino had initially done well to get ahead of the Victory striker to intercept, but failed to keep the ball within her grasp to gift the hosts an early lead.
The Jets responded well to going a goal down, with Lara Gooch going close to an equaliser just minutes later with a long-range strike tipped over the bar by Victory keeper Lydia Williams.
Down the other end, however, Nino’s challenging start to the game continued as a poor piece of distribution led to a Beattie Goad interception high up the field, and a resulting chance to double the lead wasted by Lowe; a scuffed Okino strike fell into Lowe’s lap in the box, and after rounding Nino the 22-year-old put a scuffed attempt on target which Jets defender Claudia Cicco cleared off the line.
Okino is yet to score her first A-Leagues goal after signing for Victory in the off-season, and vented her frustration when a left-footed laser toward the bottom-right corner was tipped past the post by an athletic Nino save just beyond the half-hour mark. A pair of late chances presented to Victory late in the first half with both Okino and Elise Kellond-Knight firing off target.
Matildas striker Emily Gielnik replaced Okino at the break and looked dangerous from the off, with a cross in the 53rd minute just evading the boot of McKenzie Weinert who had arrived at the back post to attempt a close-range finish.
But then came a moment of frustration for the Victory striker. An ankle injury hampered Gielnik’s last season in England at Women’s Super League club Aston Villa, and ruled her out of consideration for the Matildas’ Women’s World Cup squad. Her return to the Liberty A-League has been a cautious one as a result.
In the 60th minute Gielnik went to ground unchallenged before trudging off the field, pointing to her left leg as she neared the bench, with the Network 10 broadcast suggesting it was either a left calf or ankle injury for the 31-year-old.
Gielnik’s replacement Ella O’Grady would go on to find the back of the net in the second half – but not before Rachel Lowe secured her brace with a classy left-footed finish from the edge of the penalty area.
Lowe’s second came in the 65th minute – and Victory’s lead would soon become three as O’Grady was played through one-on-one with Nino before lifting a calm and composed strike over the Jets keeper into the back of the net.
Fellow victory substitute Sara D’Appolonia was the architect of Victory’s fourth goal; her attempted cross from a narrow angle was deflected off the leg of Newcastle’s Rebecca Burrows, who could only put her head in her hands as she watched the ball loop over Nino and over the goal line.
The talking point
A fresh injury concern for Emily Gielnik is a frustrating development in a disrupted return to the Liberty A-League.
Gielnik’s first appearance of the season came in Round 3 as a substitute against Adelaide United, and Victory boss Jeff Hopkins continued his cautious approach with his prized recruit on Sunday afternoon.
Gielnik’s half-time introduction led to a number of chances early in the second stanza before her premature departure from the game. With the Jets playing the ball out from the back, Gielnik walked around gingerly before sitting herself down, receiving treatment before walking off the pitch.
Post-game, Victory boss Hopkins gave an update on Gielnik’s fitness, revealing she’s likely to have scans to determine the extent of the injury.
“She felt her calf just tighten up so we took her off as a precaution,” he said.
“She’ll probably have a scan tonight or early tomorrow morning.”
“Everyone else has pulled up well… The rest of the squad played this morning as well. We’re in pretty good shape physically as a group.”
The star
Rachel Lowe’s first two Victory goals showed off the multiple ways the former Sydney FC talent can cause damage as an attack-minded midfielder.
Her first goal came from an opportunistic finish, rewarded for a late run into the box as a spill from Nino fell fortuitously into her path.
That’s one way Lowe can hurt you in the final third; another is from long range, as she showed in the second half with a sweetly-struck bullet from outside the box.
With her two goals in Sunday’s 4-0 win over the Jets, Lowe showed why rival midfielders and defenders are in for such a tough task in trying to contain her impact this season.
Hopkins lauded Lowe for her performance on Sunday afternoon, citing a gradual approach to granting the 22-year-old minutes which is starting to pay off.
“I think Rachel has been good right from game one really, she’s a quality player,” he said.
“(Her) game minutes were limited in preseason so now she’s playing 90 minute games she’s really starting to impact.”
“I was very impressed with Rachel’s impact on the game and her performance.”
What it means
After back-to-back defeats to start the season, Melbourne Victory have found their feet. Two wins and two clean sheets on the bounce have sent Victory charging back up the table into fifth spot.
The Jets, meanwhile, are slowly sliding back down the table after a second loss in three games. Only Cass Davis’ wonder-strike at the death saved Newcastle from defeat last time out in a 1-1 draw with Western Sydney. Newcastle began the season with a magnificent F3 Derby win on the road over Central Coast, but success has since evaded Gary van Egmond’s side.
