These are the key talking points from Round 14 in the Liberty A-League.
There was a Big Blue showdown and chaos in Wellington.
A Matilda showed her quality in an upset win for Brisbane Roar, while the league leaders’ wait for a win against a Victorian rival continued.
Adelaide United also celebrated a rare triumph in 2023-24.
These are the key talking points from Round 14 in the Liberty A-League.
‘I don’t think I was watching the game’
There was utter chaos in Wellington and the scenes were probably “too far-fetched for Hollywood”.
Wellington Phoenix snapped a four-game losing streak thanks to help from their reserve goalkeeper Brianna Edwards in a 2-0 victory at home to lowly Canberra United.
A day after her 21st birthday, Edwards was thrust into the action in dramatic circumstances after star goalkeeper Rylee Foster was sent off in the 66th minute.
Edwards’ first job was to try to save a penalty, which she sensationally did with her first touch of the game and the New Zealander’s reaction was priceless afterwards.
“If I’m going to be completely honest, I don’t think I was watching the game at that point,” she told reporters on her thought process following the red card. “I was having a chat.
“The next thing I saw was the play was stopped and Callum was going to me, ‘Bri, go warm-up’. And I was like, ‘what? what?’. He is like ‘just warm-up’. I was like okay, I just started warming up and I wasn’t really thinking.
“Then I started realising what was going on and I was just trying to slow the nerves and adrenalin, I was like f***… oh excuse my language!
“I was pumping. This is what I’m made for.”
Interviewer Jason Pine suggested the moment was “too far-fetched for a Hollywood film”.
Edwards responded: “It was crazy. You couldn’t write it in a script I guess. I don’t even know. I haven’t even properly thought about it.”
After the game, Phoenix boss Paul Temple confirmed the club will appeal the decision which could see Foster suspended for up to three matches.
The win moved Wellington up to seventh on the ladder and they now sit just a point behind the Wanderers, albeit the side from Western Sydney have played a game less.
“When you go through a dip and you’re in the pit a little bit it’s very hard to see out,” reflected Temple when discussing his team’s recent form.
“But all the way through we’ve never stopped believing that we’re a good team and I actually think this is going to do us good in the long run.”
Yallop leads by example as Brisbane Roar into life
A standout performance from Matildas midfielder Tameka Yallop helped Brisbane Roar secure an impressive 3-1 win over an in-form Western Sydney Wanderers side in Round 14 of the Liberty A-League.
Having already provided a superb assist for Kijah Stephenson’s opener, Yallop was then in the right place at the right time to fire home Brisbane’s second as they secured their fourth win of the campaign to now sit within three points of the top six.
“You can see the qualities in Tameka Yallop,” remarked Dub Zone panellist and former Matilda Catherine Cannuli.
“She’s a quality footballer and she just recognised that, especially in transition, they were trying to exploit the Wanderers’ back three.
“In that transition moment, the way she switches the ball and just catches the Wanderers out, it’s something you could see the Brisbane Roar had worked on during the week.”
But it wasn’t just her assisting and goalscoring antics that caught the eye at Marconi Stadium, Yallop’s use of the ball was equally as impressive as her defensive contribution to Brisbane’s win.
The 32-year-old finished the game with a passing accuracy of 89% having completed 24 of 27 passes while she also created two big goalscoring opportunities.
Add to that the fact she also won all five of her duels and recovered possession five times in the match, it’s easy to see why she received a standing ovation upon being substituted in the 89th minute.
Western extend streak against Victorian rivals
Western United have never tasted defeat at the hands of Melbourne City.
Kat Smith’s Western maintained that record with a 3-1 win over the league leaders at AAMI Park on Thursday evening.
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Hannah Keane bagged a double while Kahli Johnson also scored upon her return to help halt City’s premiership charge.
Western are unbeaten against City, winning twice and drawing twice, while Dario Vidosic’s side have now lost two of their last three games in the league.
The result helped Western climb from fifth in the standings to second, six points adrift of City.
Harding credits Wanderers coaching duo for getting the best out of her
They may have been on the wrong end of that scoreline at Marconi Stadium but Wanderers striker Sophie Harding says the club are heading in the right direction under head coach Robbie Hooker.
With Kat Smith departing the club 10 days before the start of the season, former Socceroo Hooker was plunged into the deep end at the Wanderers but after a rocky start, a run of four-straight wins has seen them fly up the ladder.
“I think at the start we were all a bit uneasy and confused,” revealed Wanderers striker Sophie Harding on Dub Zone.
“But the more we’ve got to know Robbie, not only as a coach but as a person, I think we all really trust in him and his processes and I think he’s playing to our strengths which we’re all happy with.”
Harding herself has been a revelation for the Wanderers this season, notching eight goals to help fire her side into finals contention, and she credits former Matildas coach and current Western Sydney Wanderers Head of Women’s Football Tom Sermanni as having an impact on her game.
“They’re both very human, they’ve both very good people,” said Harding when discussing the impacts of Hooker and Sermanni.
“They have a laugh which is good, it’s why I think all the girls love them.
“Tom is still really involved in training, especially with the strikers which is good. I really appreciate all his feedback.”
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That feedback has clearly been taken onboard by Harding who is enjoying her best ever season in the Liberty A-League aged 24, having debuted in the competition over three years ago.
“I would say when I was a bit younger I relied on my athleticism a lot,” said Harding.
“I knew I was quite fast but as the game got more technical I might have struggled a little bit in some aspects.
“But as I’ve played under some really good coaches and I’ve worked hard on my technical side of things and been able to add other elements to my game it’s definitely helped.”
The two signings set to shape Mariners‘ season
Central Coast Mariners claimed the three points, local bragging rights and the Liberty A-League version of the F3 Derby trophy after sealing an impressive 2-0 win over Newcastle Jets in Round 14.
Key to that victory was China international Wurigumula, who bagged the opening goal of the game at No.2 Sportsground and proved to be a constant thorn in the side of the Jets defenders whilst she was on the pitch.
“She’s been fantastic, especially in front of goal, she’s been so prolific,” said former Liberty A-League Head Coach and Dub Zone analyst Catherine Cannuli when discussing Wurigumula and her goal against the Jets.
The striker has now scored five goals for her team this season as well as contributing two assists to the cause and her link-up play with Rola Badawiya has been a joy to watch.
However it’s another, lesser spotted but certainly well known player who could well be set to make a huge impact for Emily Husband’s side and that’s 111-time Matilda Kyah Simon.
Having not played a competitive football match since rupturing her ACL while at Tottenham Hotspur back in October 2022, Simon came off the bench for the final few minutes of the win over the Jets, a sight Liberty A-League fans have been longing to see since it was announced she would be returning to the Central Coast.
“The Mariners were naming Kyah in their extended squad every week,” said Dub Zone panellist and A-Leagues commentator Teo Pelizzeri.
“They have been that close to finally getting her back on the bench, finally getting her back on the pitch.
“Who knows, having lost Taren King for the season as their captain with an ACL they’re going to need veterans and leadership in order to steer them to the finish line and potentially challenge for the top six.
“They’re fifth now and I would think that they’d be very confident about staying there.”
Having won three of their last five matches, the Mariners are now just two points behind Western United who currently occupy second spot, and whom they face in Round 15.
Matildas forward nearing return to full fitness
Melbourne Victory and defending champions Sydney FC played out a 1-1 draw in their Big Blue battle at AAMI Park on Friday.
Maddie Caspers and Rachel Lowe traded first-half goals in Melbourne, where Matildas forward Emily Gielnik continued her return to full fitness.
After playing the final half-hour and scoring a dramatic last-gasp winner for Victory away to Canberra, Gielnik was a half-time substitute against the Sky Blues.
“We did get more game time out of her today,” said Victory boss Jeff Hopkins.
“She’s now getting to the stage where she’s going to be unrestricted in starting games.”
Hopkins did heap praise on Jamila Rankin afterwards.
“I thought Jamilla was excellent,” he said. “She had a really tough opponent in Cortnee Vine.
“The way that we set up and the way that she set herself up was excellent.
“She limited the amount of times that Cortnee could turn and face her to isolate her one-on-one, and when she did Jamilla did really well in those duels.
“Very pleased for her. A young player that was given a specific task today and she did it really well.”
Third-placed Sydney dominated proceedings, having opened the scoring but they were unable to claim maximum points after Lowe’s 20th-minute penalty.
“It’s a shame to not get the full three points, as we put in a dominant performance,” said Sydney head coach Ante Juric.
“We had some nice chances, which we did not convert and it is something we will continue to work on. Though in saying this, the relentless attacking is a huge positive for us.
“Unfortunately we conceded a goal to a dubious penalty, outside of this, our defence held extremely firm against some good attackers.
“Overall we are pleased with our game and we will take more positives away from this game than negatives. We are looking forward to our next game against Perth, which will be a great clash.”
Reds buck trend for rare win
For just the third time in 2023-24, Adelaide United celebrate a victory in the Liberty A-League at the expense of Perth Glory.
Adelaide came from behind to sink the Glory after Hana Lowry had put the hosts ahead on Saturday.
Quick-fire goals from Isabel Hodgson and Nanako Sasaki saw the Reds topple high-flying Perth, who slipped down to fourth in the standings, for just their third win of the season.
It also bucked a trend for Adelaide.
Adelaide had dropped 13 competition points from winning positions heading into the Round 14 contest – the most of any team in the competition as they snapped a four-game losing streak, while no team had gained more competition points from losing positions this campaign than the Glory (8).
