Adelaide United recorded their first clean sheet in 34 Westfield W-League matches as they held Melbourne Victory to a 0-0 draw at AAMI Park.
Sarah Willacy was the busier of the two goalkeepers as the Adelaide stopper made some key saves, with Victory being left to rue failing to convert 60 per cent possession and 21 shots into a single goal.
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Both sides had added incentive to prevail in this historic Westfield W-League rivalry after failing to make the finals last season.
Chances were few and far between in the opening stages, with Natasha Dowie proving the main creative influence for Victory but her fellow forwards failed to punish the visitors.
They were almost made to pay for their wastefulness when Fanndis Fridriksdóttir burst down the left, into the box and forced Casey Dumont into a fine save.
Fridriksdóttir continued to prove the the main threat for the visitors but failed to hit the target when she cut in from the left again, while Melina Ayres passed up arguably the best chance of the half when she headed wide from close range.
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@victorywleague were centimetres away from opening the scoring.
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— Liberty A-League (@aleaguewomen) October 28, 2018
It was a similar story after the break as Victory pressed for an opener, but they continued to lack the required quality in front of goal.
Substitute Mindy Barbieri came the closest to breaking the deadlock when her shot from range hit the post and rebounded into the grateful arms of Willacy in the 76th minute, while Ayres and Dowie both passed up decent chances.
Having finished bottom of the Westfield W-League 2017/18 table and lost 4-0 on their last trip to Victory, Adelaide will certainly be the happier of the two sides to collect a point, while Jeff Hopkins will know his side need to improve their finishing if they are to return to the finals.
