A late goal from Kara Mowbray has seen Melbourne Victory hold defending Westfield W-League champions Brisbane Roar to a tense 1-1 draw at Ballymore Stadium on Saturday night.
Mowbray, who was born in Brisbane and trains with the Roar during the week, kept a cool head in a goalmouth scrimmage to fire home the equaliser in the 88th minute.
The 24-year-old’s efforts cancelled out a deft header from Brisbane captain Clare Polkinghorne to see the points shared and the undefeated Roar restricted to their second draw for the season.
Polkinghorne broke the deadlock in the 49th minute, nodding home truly after receiving a pinpoint curling cross from Kate McShea’s free-kick.
The visitors were on the back foot for much of the contest, but not without their chances.
Selin Kuralay went close in the dying stages of the opening half, and Roar custodian Casey Dumont did exceptionally well to defuse a flurry in the box in the 73rd minute.
Dumont would not be so fortunate later in the piece.
Victory goalkeeper and Matildas regular Melissa Barbieri battled ardently for her side, pulling off a couple of sharp saves to ensure the visitors would not go home empty-handed.
The draw was still enough to see the defending champions and premiers reclaim top spot on the Westfield W-League ladder from Central Coast (16 points).
The women in orange are currently on 17 points for the year, with three games remaining until the finals.
Defence reigned supreme in the opening stages, with neither side going close before Tameka Butt and Courtney Beutel linked up to expose a gap in the visitors’ defence in the 25th minute.
Butt put Beutel through with a good ball, but the 19-year-old striker held onto possession for too long and the Victory were able to clear.
Butt and Beutel continued to loom large, with both going close before the hosts had their best chance to open the scoring in the 39th minute.
A scrimmage in the box ensured after a testing Elise Kellond-Knight cross, but both Lauren Colthorpe and Beutel were unable to make strong enough contact to force the ball over the line.
Beutel had yet another opportunity early in the first half, but misdirected her shot at Barbieri, before Polkinghorne finally broke through.
Kellond-Knight then had a chance to double her side’s lead in the 68th minute, but it was not to be, with Mowbray snaring the equaliser against the flow of play.
Brisbane Roar 1 (Polkinghorne 49)
Melbourne Victory 1 (Mowbray 88)
@ Ballymore Stadium
