Newcastle have kept their A-League Women season alive and ended their 2022 on a high by downing Adelaide United 2-0 at the No.2 Sportsground.
Entering the round with just a single win in their opening six games, the Jets risked falling irrevocably out of touch with the league’s top four with a defeat against the visiting Reds, who were looking to shore up their spot in the finals places on Saturday afternoon.
But despite the South Australians creating a host of shots up the other end, a second-half brace from Lauren Allen ultimately proved the difference for the Novocastrians.
Suffering just their second defeat of the season the result was a disappointment for Adelaide whose lack of a killer edge, combined with some desperate Newcastle defending, saw them fail to find a breakthrough against an opposition that was conceding three goals a game to that point.
It was the Jets’ first clean sheet since a 1-0 win over Wellington on December 27, 2021.
“To get that clean sheet is good, Georgina (Worth) put in a good performance,” Allen told Dub Zone.
“She had a lot of one-on-one saves and even our defence, Cannon making a goal line save, it was a really solid performance all around.”
Maruschka Waldus headed a corner from MelindaJ Barbieri over the bar in the seventh minute for the visitors, while Fiona Worts had a glancing header go wide in the 21st.
A ricocheting ball almost provided an unlikely breakthrough on 28 minutes but defender Cannon Clough was able to scramble back and clear it off the line.
Worts dinked an effort over Worth’s head in first-half added time but the Jets’ keeper was saved by the crossbar.
Keeping the pressure on, substitute Emilia Murray and then Emily Hodgson both tried their luck early in the second half, only for Allen to hit them on the hour after she was played through by Cass Davis and hammered in an effort Annalee Grove couldn’t keep out.
Adelaide opened up and pushed hard for a leveller in response, but the space that they left behind them was again exploited by Allen when Tara Andrews played her through for her second.
“Good to get the three points at home and to get two goals was even better, especially on New Year’s Eve,” Allen added.
“A good way to end the year.”