Skipper Natasha Dowie may have stole the show with her spectacular goal but keeper Casey Dumont was the hero of Melbourne Victory’s win over Brisbane Roar on Thursday night.
Dumont was a commanding presence between the sticks for Victory, who relied on her brilliance and Dowie’s double to prevail 3-2 at Dolphin Stadium.
The 27-year-old keeper – who began her Westfield W-League career at the Roar more than a decade ago – made eight saves to ensure the defending Premiers got off the mark for the season.
Among her highlights reel was a superb double-stop to deny Hayley Raso and Celeste Boureille in quick succession and another one-handed reflex save to deny the latter in another sequence.
REPORT: Dowie scores a stunner as Victory bounce back in thriller against Roar
‘I LOVE PENALTIES’: Dumont’s heroics lead Premiers Victory to first win of 2019/20 season
But it was her penalty save from former teammate Tameka Yallop just before the break – with Victory holding a slender 2-1 lead – which was pivotal.
“She’s good mates with Tameka as well. She’s played with her a lot so maybe that little bit of local knowledge made all the difference,” Victory boss Jeff Hopkins revealed.
“But a fantastic save, she got down to it, it wasn’t a bad penalty either, it was actually a really good save.
“And not just the penalty. When we were under pressure at the end and in different periods in the game, she really stood up.
“She dominated the balls in the air into the box which is a strength of hers, but also how she got down to a number of really well-struck strikes on goal and managed to not just save them, but to push them to the side of the goal as well, it’s a real credit to her.”
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Brisbane Roar will look to respond to first-up defeat against Western Sydney Wanderers on Thursday, 28 November at Lions FC Stadium, kick off 7.30pm AEDT.
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Melbourne Victory have the bye in Round 3.
Williams: More to come from perfect Wanderers
Having never made the Westfield W-League finals in their history, Western Sydney Wanderers were determined to be a force in 2019/20.
A fierce recruitment drive has been backed up with two wins from the opening two games, overcoming Adelaide United (2-1) and Newcastle Jets (1-0).
It’s the perfect start for coach Dean Heffernan and his new-look squad ahead of a trip to powerhouses Brisbane Roar in Round 3.
US imports Lynn Williams and Kristen Hamilton have looked superb in their early appearances, while Westfield Matildas midfielder Amy Harrison has also impressed.
And the encouraging sign for the Red and Blacks is there is still some room for improvement.
“That’s what the culture of the group has shown, is that we are going to be here and working for each other,” Williams said.
“If you have a group of girls working for each other the soccer will come. I have nothing but good things to say.
“The good thing is we are only going to get better. Denise [O’Sullivan] and I have only been here a week, some others only two weeks, some three weeks.”
Harrison added: “There’s so many positives. We’re all still learning, we’re still progressing as a group.
“But I’m just happy that we’re two from two and it’s all starting to come together really nicely now.”
READ: Harrison’s drought-breaking goal sees Wanderers dispose of Jets in the wet
READ: New-look Wanderers appear set to create Westfield W-League history
After securing our second win in a row, @amy_harrison7 believes it's all coming together now #WSW pic.twitter.com/oCMrxYt7Cx
— WS Wanderers FC (@wswanderersfc) November 23, 2019
Up next for the high-flying Wanderers is a trip to Brisbane Roar on Thursday, 28 November at Lions FC Stadium, kick off 7.30pm AEDT.
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Newcastle Jets will look to bounce back from their defeat against Canberra United at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday, 30 November at 4.30pm AEDT.
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Plenty of upside to wasteful Reds
The record books will show Adelaide United fell to a 1-0 defeat to Champions Sydney FC at Marden Sports Complex on Friday night.
But coach Ivan Karlovic will the performance may act as a turning point for his youthful and exciting Reds squad.
Adelaide – who had an average age of 20.7 years in the starting XI – created a host of superb scoring chances against the Sky Blues but were unable to take advantage.
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In the end Sydney made the hosts pay, with Caitlin Foord’s 56th minute goal proving the difference.
“I think we created enough chances to win two games of football,” Reds boss Karlovic said afterwards.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the girls we just need to make sure we’re taking our opportunities it’s as simple as that.
“I’m not one to say it’s unlucky because you create your own luck. We just need to get better in certain areas and [on Friday] that was just finishing because I thought we did everything well.
“The most difficult thing is to create opportunities, I think we created a number of opportunities and should’ve been comfortably in the lead at half-time.
“So we need to continue to work on that, improve on that. But like I said to the girls at the end of the game, if you play like that on a regular basis I think you’re going to win more games than you won’t.”
READ: ‘Enough chances to win two games’ – Karlovic rues Adelaide’s missed opportunities
READ: Foord snatches winner as Sydney FC deny spirited Adelaide
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514572001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6107489714001
Sydney FC’s next challenge is a rematch of the 2019 Grand Final against Perth Glory on Sunday, 1 December at Dorrien Gardens, kick off at 4.00pm AEDT.
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Adelaide United, meanwhile, are in action against Melbourne City on Saturday, 30 November at 7.00pm AEDT.
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City get the job done… eventually
After assembling a star-studded squad, Melbourne City were rightly considered one of the pre-season favourites to go all the way in the Westfield W-League 2019/20 Season.
A first-up 1-1 draw against the Newcastle Jets looked like it would be followed up by another stalemate against a plucky Canberra United on Sunday.
It took a 94th minute penalty, won by Yukari Kinga and converted by Emily van Egmond, to hand City a last-gasp 2-1 win and their first three points of the campaign.
If you look at the numbers, it was a result that Rado Vidosic’s side fully deserved.
City had 20 shots at goal to nine from the home side, with eight on target to Canberra’s one.
Melbourne also had almost double the possession (66.4% possession to 33.6%) and almost double the passes (581 to 294).
READ: Canberra walk away with ‘heads held high’ after last-gasp City defeat
READ: City leave it late to edge Canberra
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514572001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6108228883001
Next up for Canberra United in Round 3 is a trip to face Newcastle Jets at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday, 30 November at 4.30pm AEDT.
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In Round 3, Melbourne City welcome Adelaide United to Victoria. City host the Reds on Saturday, 30 November at 7.00pm AEDT.
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