Canberra United have continued their unbeaten start to the Westfield W-League season with a convincing 3-1 win over Adelaide United at McKellar Park in Canberra on Saturday.
Canberra United have continued their unbeaten start to the Westfield W-League season with a convincing 3-1 win over Adelaide United at McKellar Park in Canberra on Saturday.
Although Canberra dominated throughout, they were made to work for the three points after going behind to Racheal Quigley’s first-half free kick.
But three goals in the space of 15 second-half minutes from Caitlin Cooper, Ellie Brush and Samantha Wood secured Canberra a result that cements their spot at the top of the Westfield W-League table.
The game was barely five minutes old when Caitlin Munoz thought she had opened the scoring.
Ashleigh Skykes, who was lively throughout on the wing, played a neat one-two with her sister Nicole, releasing Munoz to slot home from an acute angle, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.
Canberra followed this early chance and pressed throughout the early exchanges, enjoying a superior share of possession.
Despite having numerous shots on goal, they didn’t really threaten Adelaide keeper Kristi Harvey, with Georgia Yeoman-Dale, Ellie Brush and Munoz firing shots over the bar.
Canberra almost took the lead after 15 minutes, with Michelle Heyman charging down Harvey’s clearance, only for the Adelaide stopper to recover and block the follow-up.
Jennifer Bisset should have given Canberra a deserved lead on 25 minutes.
The ever-dangerous Munoz played Ashleigh Sykes in down the left channel, only for Bisset to poke Sykes’ inviting cross harmlessly wide.
Despite Canberra’s dominance, Adelaide opened the scoring against the run of play with their first real chance of the game in the 37th minute.
Following a foul by Ariane Hingst, Quigley’s curling free kick was palmed onto the post by Mackenzie Arnold in the Canberra goal.
Arnold’s spectacular diving save kept out the initial shot, only for the ball to cruelly rebound off the post, hit her back and roll into the goal.
Canberra closed out the half by again peppering the Adelaide goal, with Yeoman-Dale and then Heyman shooting just wide.
The second half brought more of the same, with only some last ditch tackles by Adelaide captain Abby Erceg preventing Canberra taking the lead.
The match finally turned Canberra’s way with three goals in the space of a quarter of an hour, starting with Caitlin Cooper heading in Ariane Hingst’s corner at the near post.
Canberra took a deserved lead five minutes later though captain Brush.
Following a foul on Sykes, Hingst again fired over an inviting dead ball that Brush met with a bullet header at the far post.
The match was then wrapped up on 84 minutes, when substitute Wood powered in a third goal with a 20-yard strike into the top corner.
Canberra continued to press for further goals, with one final chance falling to Heyman, following a well-worked free kick routine with Hingst which was eventually smothered by Harvey.
Canberra United 3 (Caitlin Cooper 63, Ellie Brush 78, Samantha Wood 84)
Adelaide United 1 (Racheal Quigley38)
Canberra United: 1. Mackenzie Arnold, 2. Caitlin Cooper, 3. Georgia Yeoman-Dale, 4. Christine Walters, 6. Caitlin Munoz, 7. Ellie Brush, 11. Michelle Heyman, 13. Nicole Sykes, 14. Ashleigh Sykes, 17. Ariane Hingst, 19. Jennifer Bisset
Adelaide United: 1. Kristi Harvey, 2. Ruth Wallace, 3. Alex Natoli, 5. Abby Erceg (c), 6. Cassandra Tsoumbris, 7. Racheal Quigley, 13. Ann Mayo, 14. Lorena Maggio, 15. Emma Checker, 18. Georgia Macri, 19. Holly Patterson
