A 2-1 away win over Adelaide United ultimately counted for little as Brisbane Roar’s faint hopes of playing finals football were extinguished after Western Sydney Wanderers’ 1-0 victory over Perth Glory on Saturday afternoon.
The visitors found the back of the net in the ninth minute as wing-back Deborah-Anne De la Harpe sprinted forward down the Brisbane right before firing the ball across the keeper and into the far corner to make it 1-0.
Brisbane then had two good chances to double the lead but went into the break level after Chelsie Dawber equalised in the 26th minute following a goalkeeping error.
Adelaide were then left frustrated in the 74th minute of the contest as Brisbane bagged the match-winner through Tameka Yallop despite the Matildas midfielder appearing to have strayed beyond the last defender.
The home side went all out in their attempts to find an equaliser but despite Alex Smith’s side holding on to their precious lead it ultimately counted for little due to results elsewhere.
A Sophie Harding stunner fired Western Sydney to a 1-0 win over Perth Glory, a result which moves the Wanderers seven points clear of Brisbane on the ladder with just two games remaining in the regular season.
Furthermore, as well as ending Brisbane’s finals hopes the Wanderers also ended Perth’s chances of playing in the post-season.
Defeat in Western Sydney leaves Alex Epakis’ side six points outside the top six with two games to play, however the Glory have three fewer wins than the Wanderers and therefore cannot break into the finals standings, with games won the first tiebreaker separating sides on level points.
Both teams came into this contest knowing a win was vital if they were to have any hope of securing a finals spot and it was the away side who hit the front in the ninth minute.
Matilda Tameka Yallop played a simple ball into the path of De la Harpe who then proceeded to run the length of the Adelaide half unchallenged before cooly slotting the ball beyond Adelaide keeper Claudia Jenkins.
The Roar should have been two goals to the good before half-time but striker Mia Corbin couldn’t convert from close range while Ashlee Brodigan then saw her goal-bound effort well cleared by Ella Tonkin, and the misses would come back to haunt them.
Shortly after the first half drinks break, Holmes played a brilliant ball beyond the Brisbane defence and into the path of Chelsie Dawber, who then slotted the ball into the net after pouncing on a mistake by Roar keeper Keeley Richards.
Richards then atoned for her earlier error, sprinting off her line to close down the space between herself and the on-rushing Holmes before denying the midfielder with a smart save.
Both sides created half-chances after the interval but the game was broken wide open in the 74th minute and it was a Matilda at the heart of the action.
Collecting the ball in her own half, Yallop fed the ball into the feet of Corbin before continuing her run forward to latch on to the return pass and while the midfielder appeared to have strayed beyond the last defender, the flag stayed down and she cooly rounded the keeper before dispatching the ball into the net to make it 2-1.
Midfielder Nanako Sasaki came close to bagging an equaliser in the 89th minute of the contest but thankfully for the Brisbane keeper, her long range effort flew narrowly over the crossbar.
