Sarah Willacy saved an 89th minute penalty from Kyah Simon to help Adelaide United secure a dramatic 1-1 draw with Melbourne City at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday.
Willacy, who had brought down Jess Fishlock in the area, went from zero to hero for the Reds as she kept out Simon’s spot-kick to preserve a valuable point for the away side.
City earlier went ahead through Ashley Hatch’s 14th-minute header and held their advantage for an almost hour as they looked set to join Canberra United and Newcastle Jets on nine points.
But Alyssa Mautz scored the equaliser with just under 20 minutes remaining to give the Reds hope of avoiding what would have been a fourth defeat.
And they did just that courtesy of Willacy, whose late save compounded a frustrating afternoon for the hosts after they spurned several opportunities to extend their advantage.
The draw was enough for Adelaide to move off the foot of the ladder and into seventh, while City remain two points shy of the top four.
