Perth Glory have won their fourth match on the trot in the National Youth League, accounting for the AIS 2-0 in a tough encounter at AIS Athletics Track on Sunday.
The AIS went into the match with a long injury list which was compounded by the late withdrawal of Eli Babalj, and it ended up naming four 15-year-olds in its first 15.
The Glory dominated early proceedings, but to the credit of the young AIS side it created a host of opportunities in the second half and was unlucky not to earn a point.
But the first half belonged to the Glory and their 1-0 half-time advantage should have been bigger.
They had four shots well off target in the first 20 minutes and some desperate AIS defence blocked good chances.
It was only a matter of time before they scored and in the 28th minute the Glory struck, the ever-dangerous Ludovic Boi laid the ball off to Samuel Mitchinson on the left-hand side who jagged in and hit a wonderful low shot past Lawrence Thomas and in off the right-hand post.
The AIS had its best chance of the half from the ensuing kick off, catching the Glory napping and Jared Lum forced a one-handed save from Aleks Vrteski who had little to do before that point.
It was a more competitive finish to the half as both teams tired on a hot Canberra day, and the AIS impressed after the break.
Kamal Ibrahim had a brilliant run in the 48th minute, beating two defenders and putting in a cross to Christopher Bush who missed what would have been a certain goal.
Ibrahim was in the thick of it again seconds later, nearly getting his head on a Brodie Paterson cross when he got free of his defender close to goal.
In the 65th minute AIS defender Brendan Hamill was allowed to run free in the Glory half and he unleashed a powerful shot but a diving Vrteski was up to the task.
Boi nearly gave the Glory their second in the 68th minute after some shaky AIS defence, but his shot just missed to the right.
In the 77th minute Boi put Mario Marcinko through on the six-yard box and he was brought down and earned a penalty which he duly converted.
Both teams fought to the end, Vrtenski capped off a quality performance with another diving save off a Bush shot with five minutes to go.
Boi and Glory midfielder Ryan Pearson impressed for the visitors, with Trent Sainsbury rock solid in the defence in a losing side and Ibrahim breathing life into the AIS with a silky second half after being moved onto the left hand side.
Perth Glory 2 (Mitchinson 28, Marcinko 78p)
AIS 0
At AIS Athletics Track
