Sydney FC are into an unprecedented seventh consecutive Liberty A-League Grand Final after a 1-1 draw with Central Coast saw Ante Juric’s side secure a 2-1 aggregate win over the Mariners at Leichhardt Oval.
Ante Juric’s Sky Blues broke the deadlock in front of a packed crowd at Leichhardt Oval in the 30th minute when Mackenzie Hawkesby curled the ball home from inside the box.
Somewhat against the run of play the Mariners then pulled themselves level just before half time when Rola Badawiya got the better of two Sydney defenders in the box before slotting her effort beyond Jada Whyman to make it 1-1 on the day and 2-1 on aggregate.
Both sides were guilty of wasting several good chances in the second half with Mariners midfielder Paige Hayward left to rue a costly miss after rifling her shot over the bar from close range with the goal at her mercy.
Sydney keeper Jada Whyman then produced an acrobatic save in the dying stages to prevent Annabel Martin from scoring her first Mariners goal as the Sky Blues held on to secure their spot in the Liberty A-League Grand Final for a seventh consecutive year.
The Sky Blues looked to assert their dominance from the outset and were inches away from taking the lead in the 14th minute.
A clever short corner from Hawkesby picked out captain Princess Ibini on the edge of the box and the forward promptly hit a first-time curling effort towards goal which crashed back off the crossbar and away to safety.
The Sky Blues took the lead on the half-hour mark and it all came off the back of some excellent work from Ibini.
After keeping the ball in play, Ibini then found Indiana Dos Santos who in turn picked out Vine with a cross into the box, and while the Matilda couldn’t get a shot off herself her touch fell kindly into the path of Hawkesby who cooly slotted the ball beyond the on-rushing Dumont.
Down 2-0 on aggregate the Mariners kicked into gear on the approach to half time and pulled one back care of a good finish from Badawiya.
Picked out inside the box by Galic’s first-time pass, Badawiya sidestepped the two Sydney centre halves in front of her before slotting the ball beyond Whyman to make it 1-1, now 2-1 on aggregate.
The away side almost fired themselves level on aggregate just three minutes into the second half but Kyah Simon’s header from a powerful Badawiya cross flew wide of the upright.
Five minutes later and Emily Husband’s side wasted another glorious opportunity, this time Hayward guilty of blazing her shot well over the bar with the goal gaping after the ball fell kindly to her inside the box.
With 7063 fans watching on Sydney almost killed off the game in the 75th minute when Vine picked out Hawkesby as she charged into the box but the midfielder could only chest the ball wide of the target.
With the Mariners now pushing forward in pursuit of a leveller in the tie Sydney substitute Shea Connors broke through at the other end but her low shot clipped the legs of Dumont, enabling the keeper to scramble back and prevent a Sydney winner.
With time running out the Mariners then tested Whyman in the Sydney goal as Martin got on the end of a ball into the box however her goal-bound header was plucked from the air by the Sky Blues’ shot-stopper.
Connors then had several good opportunities to kill off the tie once and for all as the game entered six minutes of injury time but on both occasions the forward couldn’t find the target.
