Perth Glory has handed Brisbane Roar its first Westfield W-League loss of the season in a shock 2-1 result at Clipsal Stadium on a hot Saturday afternoon in Perth.
The Roar dominated the whole match aside from the Glory’s rare attacks forward that led to two goals, but Brisbane could not get off good enough shots inside the box to seriously trouble Perth goalkeeper Emma Wirkus.
In the end, Brisbane had 30 attempts on goal, 10 of which were on target, to the Glory’s six, and 10 corners to Perth’s two, but the Roar couldn’t take advantage and Perth scored twice through Katie Gill.
The win for the Glory was all the more memorable given Lisa de Vanna (suspended) and Collette McCallum (ankle) were missing, they had to make up for a 6-0 loss in the last meeting and Brisbane had not lost all year.
The Roar have now suffered two draws and a loss in the last three weeks to slip from the top of the ladder with one round to go.
The Roar got the game’s opening goal in the 11th minute through Courtney Beutel, but couldn’t find a way to a second despite controlling the contest. The finishing inside the box will be a concern for coach Jeff Hopkins as the Roar attempt to defend last season’s title in the upcoming finals.
The Roar completely dominated the opening 15 minutes and had several good chances to score, and did so in the 11th minute through Beutel.
Glory keeper Wirkus had a terrific first half, but couldn’t stop Beutel when she capitalised after Wirkus came out to meet the ball at the top of the box.
The Glory made a rare foray forward in the 18th minute when Samantha Kerr was released down the wing and she put in a perfect cross into the box that the tall Gill was able to get over the Roar defenders to header it home past Casey Dumont.
That sparked a good few minutes for the Glory, but it was short-lived as Brisbane regained control in the last 15 minutes. It couldn’t find the back of the net with that dominance, though, as the only part of its game missing was the final shot on goal.
Things didn’t change in the second half, but the Glory took full advantage of their chances and the second goal came from the home side’s second corner of the afternoon.
This time Gill was able to find some room with the ball at her feet from a corner and struck it nicely to give the Glory a lead that it never lost. The Roar continued to push hard, had numerous corners, free kicks around the box and crosses that gave them opportunities, but not one found the net.
The Glory remain at home next week to finish the season against the Melbourne Victory at Clipsal Stadium while the Roar gear up for the finals by taking on the Jets in Newcastle.
Perth Glory 2 (Gill 18, 63)
Brisbane Roar 1 (Beutel 11)
