Newcastle Jets held competition leaders Sydney FC to a 1-1 draw in a hard-fought and open encounter at Campbelltown Stadium.
The league’s top scorer Leena Khamis netted three minutes after the interval but Katie Gill’s equaliser mid-way through the second half ensured the first ever draw of the Westfield W-League.
A first half arm-wrestle gave way to an open second half with both teams creating a number of quality goalscoring opportunities.
The Jets could have scored in the opening minutes of the match when a corner swung in from the left was flicked on by Cheryl Salisbury with Stacey Day twice denied in the ensuing melee.
Sydney FC replied with a Kylie Ledbrook free kick from distance that flew over the crossbar, with Servet Uzunlar also letting fly with the similar result.
On the half hour Khamis was put clear but she pulled her shot wide under pressure from Salisbury.
Sydney had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock late in the half but Khamis overhit her pass to Linda O’Neill who only had the goalkeeper to beat.
The best chance of the half fell right on the stroke of half time with Salisbury’s pinpoint cross from the left flank met expertly by Katie Gill but her header narrowly cleared the crossbar landing on the roof of the net.
Khamis broke the deadlock just after the break when she made good connection with a volley that took a massive deflection off Salisbury, wrong-footing Logue and looping into the goal. It was Khamis’ fifth goal in four starts to keep her at the top of the league’s goalscorers’ chart.
Midfield dynamo Uzunlar was inches away from being rewarded for a player of the match performance but her rasping shot from just outside the area narrowly cleared the right post.
Newcastle equalised mid-way through the second half with Gill displaying great strikers instinct to latch onto a loose ball and bury her shot into the far corner from 20 metres for her third goal of the season.
Khamis could have given her side the lead for a second time when she sprung the offside trap, and although Logue made a partial save, it took a last-ditch goal-line clearance from Gema Simon to maintain parity.
The action opened up further as the match wore on with play moving from end to end as fatigue set in on the sandy pitch.
Substitute Jessica Seaman could have won it for Sydney FC with virtually the last kick of the game but her snapshot went narrowly wide.
“I though it was a fairly even game, but I felt we shaded them in terms of chances and shots and thought we probably deserved a 2-1 or 3-1 victory,” said Sydney FC coach Alen Stajcic.
“We are still carrying a few injuries, and have to get through the next couple of weeks with the players we have got, who all did quite well today.”
“We will get the likes of Heather Garriock and Sarah Walsh back and am sure we will be a threat to the competition.”
Match Details
Sydney FC 1 (Leena Khamis 48-)
Newcastle Jets 1 (Katie Gill 68-)
Campbelltown Stadium, Campbelltown
Saturday 15 November 2008
Referee: Lee Corey
Sydney FC line-up: 20.Nikola DIETER (gk), 2.Samantha SPACKMAN, 3.Danielle BROGAN, 4.Alesha CLIFFORD, 5.Lisa GILBERT (c), 6.Servet UZUNLAR, 8.Jo BURGESS (13.Loren MAHONEY 30-), 10.Kylie LEDBROOK, 16.Linda O-NEILL (14.Maggie ELHUSSEINI 78-), 17.Danielle SMALL (15.Jessica SEAMAN 86-), 19.Leena KHAMIS
Substitutes not used: 1.Rachel COOPER (gk)
Yellow cards: Linda O-Neill 64-
Red Cards: Nil
Newcastle Jets line-up: 1.Alison LOGUE (gk), 3.Samantha WOOD (9.Rhali DOBSON 78-), 5.Cheryl SALISBURY (c), 6.Amber NEILSON, 7.Gema SIMON, 10.Joanne PETERS, 11.Stacey DAY, 12.Katie GILL, 14.Nicole JONES (8.Leia SMITH 89-), 16.Kirstyn PEARCE, 21.Taleah DOYLE
Substitutes not used: 4.Elizabeth SHARPE, 30.Harmonie ATTWILL (gk)
Yellow cards: Katie Gill 26-
Red Cards: Nil
