An 88th-minute goal from Elisa D’Ovidio gave Perth Glory their second win of the season as they came from behind to beat Adelaide United 2-1.
An 88th-minute goal from Elisa D’Ovidio gave Perth Glory their second win of the Westfield W-League season as they came from behind to beat Adelaide United 2-1 at Intiga Stadium.
The Lady Reds went in front against the run of play through Ann Mayo before Kate Gill equalised on the stroke of half-time and D’Ovidio netted the winner on Saturday.
With the temperature over 30 degrees for the duration of the game, conditions were difficult for both sets of players who were glad for a drinks break in each half.
After a cagey opening few minutes, Gill was first to try her luck with a shot at goal but her effort went wide.
The hosts began to dictate possession as captain Collette McCallum and Shannon May enjoyed a lot of the ball in midfield.
Glory came close to opening the scoring on 15 minutes when a McCallum cross to the back post found its way to D’Ovidio but her goal-bound header was hacked off the line by Abby Erceg.
Just before the 20-minute mark, McCallum had the ball in the net after running through the Adelaide defence but the goal was bizarrely chalked off.
Assistant Jarrad Kennington flagged for another player being in an offside position, but referee Renee Silvester failed to consult with him and, presuming he meant McCallum, disallowed the goal.
Glory continued to press and dominated the half but fell behind four minutes before the break when a sweet left-foot free-kick by Mayo found the top corner, giving goalkeeper Carly Telford no chance.
Adelaide’s lead did not last long though and Gill restored parity on the stroke of half-time, pouncing on a loose ball in the box to finish past Kristi Harvey.
The second half was much like the first with Perth controlling the game, but there were few clear-cut chances.
Gill, who was caught offside a lot throughout the game, always looked most likely to score and came close with a back-heel that went just wide.
At the other end, Mayo hit a free-kick straight at Telford before the England international got down well to save a shot from Holly Patterson.
D’Ovidio had an effort saved by Harvey on 80 minutes but made no mistake as the game headed for injury time, running on to a long ball forward by Telford to finish into the bottom corner.
Perth Glory 2 (Kate Gill 45, Elisa D’Ovidio 88)
Adelaide United 1 (Ann Mayo 41)
Perth Glory: 1. Carly Telford, 2. Sarah Carroll (9. Rosie Sutton 65), 3. Carys Hawkins, 4. Bronwyn Studman, 5. Shannon May (8. Ella Mastrantonio 76), 6. Sasha Andrews, 12. Kathryn Gill, 13. Elisa D-Ovidio, 14. Collette McCallum, 15. Elizabeth Milne, 17. Marianna Tabain (19. Shawn Billam 90).
Subs: 20. Zoe Palandri.
Adelaide United: 1. Kristi Harvey, 3. Alex Natoli, 5. Abby Erceg, 6. Cassandra Tsoumbris (11. Grace Henry 76), 7. Rachael Quigley (2. Ruth Wallace 46), 9. Marijana Rajcic (18. Georgia Macri 55), 13. Ann Mayo, 15. Emma Checker, 16. Jessica Waterhouse, 17. Laura Johns, 19. Holly Patterson.
Subs: 12. Elise Whorlow.
