The Lady Reds have won their first game in three years after defeating Perth Glory 1-0 in their rain soaked clash at Burton Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Reds have won their first game in three years after defeating Perth Glory 1-0 in their rain soaked clash at Burton Park on Saturday afternoon.
Adelaide had not won in a record 34 matches with their last victory coming back in November 2008 when they won 3-2.
Katherine Ebbs scored the solitary goal in the first-half with a neat finish from close-range to end the Lady Reds’ drought.
Adelaide began the first-half brimming with confidence doing all the attacking early against a Perth side coming off two heavy defeats.
The Lady Reds flooded forward but could not find an opening as they were restricted to long-range efforts and corners.
They eventually did however find a breakthrough on 15 minutes when Marijana Rajcic was put through into Perth’s box by Rachael Quigley, but the striker fired her effort over the bar.
Quigley was again provider five minutes later when she laid a smart ball to Donna Cockayne, allowing the 22-year-old to wrestle her way into box and strike a solid shot that was well held down low by Perth goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold.
Perth who could not break free of Adelaide’s intense forward pressure, created their first chance on 23 minutes when Sadie Lawrence fed Lara Filocamo on the right-side of United’s area, but Reds custodian Sian McLaren was equal to the task denying the 19-year-old.
The Lady Reds should have had the lead in the 28th minute when Emma Checker broke free of Perth’s defence following a corner, but the defender could put her unchallenged header over the bar.
Five minutes later however Adelaide finally found a reward for their dominance when Ebbs steered home American Ashleigh Gunning’s by-line cross with a left-foot volley from six yards to make it 1-0.
The Lady Reds began the second half where they left from the first, piling forward in the hope of finding a second.
However the pouring rain and slippery conditions were making it difficult for either side to gain control of the ball and put together a threatening attack.
Quigley was not perturb by the weather however as she went on a scintillating run from just over the half-way line taking on three Perth players before firing thunderous shot from distance that cannoned off the bar in the 57th minute.
Chances dried up again unlike the weather until Lady Reds forward Rajcic almost found her side’s second on 75 minutes, but she blasted wide of the near post after the instrumental Quigley had put her into the left-side of Perth’s area.
Perth responded moments later with a well-taken set-piece from Emily Dunn after Adelaide captain Abby Erceg picked up a yellow, but her shot hit the bar.
Perth attacker Shannon May almost capitalised on a series of blunders due to the poor conditions when the Lady Reds defence failed to clear the ball from their own box in the 82nd minute.
May kept her feet in Adelaide’s goalmouth as players slipped around her but she was denied twice by desperate blocks from McLaren and defender Checker.
The scramble sparked a shaky final few minutes for Adelaide as Perth looked to make amends for their recent poor run of results.
May again proved a nuisance for the Lady Reds defence when she hit a long-range shot that Reds glovewoman McLaren failed to hold onto and required her captain Erceg to make a last ditch tackle on the line to deny Perth winger Katarina Jukic’s who was closing in on the rebound.
Perth again had a chance late from a corner but the ball was knocked over as the Lady Reds held on to end their 19-match losing streak and record their first win in three years.
Adelaide United 1 (Quigley 33)
Perth Glory 0
