Welcome to Made With Mitre Moments, where aleagues.com.au brings you all the biggest talking points from each round of the 2024-25 Ninja A-League season.
It was an action-packed and goal-filled Round 1 which saw Western United and Wellington Phoenix kick off the season with a six-goal thriller.
The defending champions were upstaged by their rivals in Gosford, a Matilda fuelled Melbourne Victory, the five-star reigning premiers flexed their muscles and so much more as season 2024-25 kicked off in style.
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Read on for all the biggest talking points from Round 1, thanks to Mitre.
Western United have lift-off at Ironbark Fields
Western United are playing out of Ironbark Fields for a full season for the first time in their history, and the 2022-23 Grand Finalists started their season with a bang.
Having moved into the Tarneit facility late last season, Kat Smith’s Western entered Friday night’s curtain-raising showdown against Wellington Phoenix still eyeing their maiden victory at the venue.
Under the lights in Melbourne’s west, Western celebrated an entertaining 4-2 win over the Phoenix.
Fuelled by a stunning four-goal blitz in just 23 minutes, Western overpowered Wellington, who actually took the lead in the 15th minute.
Captain Chloe Logarzo and Aimee Medwin scored twice in as many minutes before Kahli Johnson and Catherine Zimmerman struck within a minute of each other to stun the Phoenix, who did pull a goal back in the 82nd minute.
“That’s what you want – to play at home and get the win. That’s the first one for the A-League Women at Ironbark Fields,” said Smith.
“That’s what you want to do to create a fortress here, and score goals. Tick, tick, tick.”
As for Phoenix head coach Paul Temple, he said: “It’s tough to comprehend really what went on in that 20-minute period in the first half.
“I thought we started the game really well and we were clearly the team in the ascendancy. We had them pegged back and it was attack after attack really.
“I didn’t think we used that dominance in their box to score goals. We were a bit tentative and didn’t really take those good opportunities when we got in behind them, but we deserved to be one-nil up.
“And then [for Western] to score in that manner, straight from kick-off, has completely taken the wind out of the sails.
“And ultimately if you defend like we did for that 20 minutes, there’s no way you’re going to win games at this level.
“It was very, very out of character for the team and the back three. I’ve seen them defend like warriors for six weeks and it was not what we or they wanted. It was sort of mistake after mistake and ultimately cost us the game.”
Mariners stun the champs but Sky Blues boss has a message
Central Coast Mariners could not have wished for a better start to the season.
After their semi-final run in 2023-24, the Mariners kicked off the new campaign a 3-1 win over two-time defending champions Sydney FC at Industree Group Stadium in Gosford on Saturday.
Jade Pennock was the star of the show on the coast as the English import scored a goal of her own and set up two others on debut.
“Jade was outstanding today,” Mariners head coach Emily Husband said post-match. “You know, runs in behind, her ability to deliver and her confidence to step-up in big moments; that really separates her from the rest.”
Princess Ibini was on the scoresheet for the beaten Sky Blues, who are a new-look outfit in 2024-25.
Cortnee Vine, Charlotte McLean and Jada Whyman are among the departures after last season’s Grand Final success.
The Sky Blues have the chance to claim a three-peat this season but Ante Juric has other things on his mind.
“We are notoriously slow starters and today I feel like we gave them all three goals today,” said the Sydney head coach.
“We didn’t take out own chances when they came and well done to Central Coast for taking theirs.
“I don’t feel the pressure of a third consecutive Championship I just focus on what we do week in week out and now we will head to Brisbane next week and look to pick it back up.”
Canberra’s new era ignited by two-goal recruit
A new coach, new players and a new era at Canberra United, and it started with three points on Saturday.
In Antoni Jagarinec’s A-Leagues coaching bow after replacing Njegosh Popovich, Canberra outlasted Brisbane Roar 3-2 at McKellar Park.
Maja Markovski was the inspiration behind the win – the former Melbourne Victory forward scored twice to propel Canberra to victory on home soil.
Despite CommBank Matildas and A-Leagues icon Michelle Heyman leading the line, it was new arrival Markovski who made the difference while Mary Stanic-Floody scored a memorable volley.
The 22-year-old earned an A-Leagues return after sweeping a whole host of NPL awards in 2024.
Markovski won the NPLW VIC Golden Boot with 20 goals for premiers Bulleen Lions, while the 22-year-old was also named the NPLW VIC Gold Medallist and Media Player of the Year.
“Sensational,” Jagarinec said of Markovski. “She’s a goal scorer.”
Markovski added: “It was just important to build off the NPL season and keep the confidence and form going.
“It’s a different level so I had to really step up, but excited for the rest of the season.”
While the visiting Roar left the nation’s capital empty-handed, new signing Evdokia Popadinova scored on debut, while Deborah-Anne De la Harpe also found the back of the net.
Wondergoal and star’s Matildas reminder in five-goal thriller
Adelaide United’s clash with Melbourne Victory had a bit of everything as the latter prevailed 3-2 at ServiceFM Stadium on Saturday.
Ava Briedis’ incredible 92nd-minute strike gave Victory bragging rights in the Original Rivalry showdown in Adelaide.
The score was deadlocked at 2-2 after Matildas striker Emily Gielnik and 2021-22 Julie Dolan Medallist Fiona Worts scored two goals apiece for their respective teams.
Then, 18-year-old Briedis – who replaced Gielnik – stepped up to settle the clash in the second minute of stoppage time.
As for Gielnik, her latest two-goal display sent a reminder of her quality to the CommBank Matildas.
Injuries have prevented her from adding to her 54 international caps but the 32-year-old’s A-Leagues form has her knocking on the door of a Matildas return.
Dating back to last season, Gielnik has scored nine goals in her past eight A-Leagues games.
“I am wanting to have the season of my life because Matildas is back where I want to be and I’m going to push for that,” Gielnik said before the start of the season.
“I know the first few camps are probably out of reach for me in terms of games under my belt but I’m looking to have a strong season, first and foremost for Victory, and then hopefully be rewarded in the future if I perform well enough with a call-up back in to camp.”
Five-star City and a goal-of-the-season contender
Melbourne City overturned a two-goal deficit in their season-opening 5-2 win against Perth Glory at ctrl:cyber Pitch on Sunday.
Glory debutant Kelli Brown scored a goal-of-the-season contender to help the visiting Glory take a 2-0 lead in Melbourne.
It was not what new City boss Michael Matricciani had imagined for his A-Leagues bow.
That was until reigning premiers City turned the match on its head with five unanswered goals in an incredible season half.
After Miku Sunaga put Perth 2-0 ahead six minutes into the second half, Rhianna Pollicina sparked the comeback two minutes later.
It was the first of two goals for Pollicina, while substitute Kathryn Harvey also finished with a brace on debut as Laura Hughes capped the fightback in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
“What I really love even when we went 2-0 down, the character of the group,” Matricciani said. “I think we really showed good belief in what we can do.
“Then obviously the momentum came from when we scored that first goal, and the players lifted and then we controlled the rest of the match and kept scoring, which was very pleasing.”
On Pollicina’s performance, Matricciani said: “She’s an exceptional talent.
“It was actually funny. My daughter said she loves Minnie, she’s only four and a half. She said to me before the game, ‘Daddy, tell Minnie that I want her to score for me’. So I said to Minnie in my pre-match talk, I said, ‘I don’t want to put you under too much pressure, but my daughter said you need to score for her’. So that got a few laughs.
“But I’m really glad. Obviously, she’s a top player, and she scored that a beautiful follow up tap-in. I used to be a striker, and I love those goals more than the second one that she scored, because when you anticipate and score the tap in, for me, I love those. But then she’s got the quality to put it in top corner as well. Top performance from her and all round.”
Jets’ stunning comeback as Julie Dolan Medallist has lift-off in 2024-25
Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanderers traded goals in an entertaining 2-2 draw on Sunday.
Reigning Julie Dolan Medallist Sophie Harding inspired the Wanderers with a goal and an assist as visiting Western Sydney and the Jets shared the points in Round 1.
Harding broke the deadlock in the fourth minute against last season’s Semi-Finalists before the former turned provider for Sienna Saveska 23 minutes later.
The Jets, however, rallied in the Cessnock heat as Deven Jackson and Lauren Allan had Newcastle level by the 61st minute.
There was also a big cheer for Newcastle Knights premiership-winning NRLW star Sheridan Gallagher, who entered the fray for the Jets with 16 minutes remaining.
