Central Coast Mariners have ended their five-game winless run at the perfect time, sealing a precious 2-0 away win over Wellington Phoenix to further boost their chances of playing finals football.
Despite Wellington controlling possession for large swathes of the first half it was the Mariners who broke the deadlock; Annalise Rasmussen converting from the spot on the cusp of half-time after she had previously been fouled inside the box.
Less than 10-minutes into the second-half the Mariners then doubled their lead care a sumptuous half-volley from midfielder Isabel Gomez, who lashed home her side’s second in the 52nd minute.
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The home side had the lion’s share of possession but rarely threatened Sarah Langman in the Mariners goal as the visitors left Porirua Park with a huge three points in their quest to secure a top six berth.
The result leaves Wellington Phoenix sat in eighth place on the ladder and two points outside the top six.
As for the away team, Emily Husband’s side snap their five-game winless run at the perfect time to move themselves up into fifth place and four points clear of seventh-placed Canberra United.
The home side dominated the opening stages of the game but didn’t have anything to show for their efforts and almost fell behind in the 31st minute.
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Lurking on the edge of the area, Isabel Gomez reacted quickest to a loose ball following a Mariners corner but saw her half-volley come crashing back off the crossbar before Nix keeper Carolina Vilao could contain the situation.
Having grown into the game the Mariners then duly took full advantage of Wellington’s bluntness going forward as they snatched the lead before the break.
Connecting with a deep ball into the box from Sarah Rowe, Peta Trimis’ header bounced back off the bar before Rasmussen then hit the deck inside the box as she attempted to bundle home the rebound which prompted referee Georgia Ghirardello to point to the spot.
Despite looking a little ginger as she got to her feet, Rasmussen cooly slotted the ball beyond Vilao and into the net to hand the Mariners a potentially huge lead at the break.
Less than 10 minutes into the second-half, the visitors bagged their second of the game and it came from the boot of Gomez.
A good ball into the box from Taylor Ray was headed clear by the Phoenix defence but only as a far as Gomez who, again, was lurking on the edge of the area and this time her half-volley flew beyond Vilao and into the net to make it 2-0.
In similar fashion to the first-half, Wellington controlled possession of the football but did little with it to trouble the clean sheet of Langman, who was making her 100th appearance in the Ninja A-League.
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Despite mustering 36 touches of the ball in the opposition box compared the Mariners 13, Wellington remained relatively toothless until the game ticked into stoppage time.
Throwing caution to the wind the home side threw everything forward in a bid to salvage a point but when Mariners keeper Langman was called upon she produced a stunning diving to tip Manaia Elliott’s powerful shot over the bar.
