A brilliant strike by Sydney FC’s Leena Khamis was enough to give a dominant Sky Blues side the three points against a 10-woman Newcastle Jets at Seymour Shaw Park on Saturday.
The lively forward’s 24th-minute goal was ample reward for an impressive Sydney FC, which had a glut of goal-scoring opportunities in a game it controlled from the first whistle.
Jets keeper Alison Logue starred for the visitor with a superb first-half save together with a string of classy stops against a rampant Sydney side.
The first-half red card to Jets skipper Hayley Crawford made life difficult for her young side which battled on right to the end on a warm day in Sydney’s south.
Right on full-time, Sydney’s Heather Garriock hit the bar with an audacious long-range effort but a second goal proved elusive.
In a hugely entertaining first half, it was Sydney FC which dominated completely. Good early chances to the Sky Blues’ internationals Garriock and Sarah Walsh suggested home side dominance would be converted into goals.
And it was in spectacular fashion when striker Khamis picked up possession 20 yards out and hit a screamer past Jets keeper Alison Logue on 25 minutes.
But the Jets custodian made up for that with a brilliant save from a Garriock penalty just minutes later to keep the score to 1-0.
Sydney’s movement was superb and it was causing the Jets all sorts of problems. However, the visitors’ woes were compounded when Crawford received her second yellow from referee Peta McCallum to reduce the Jets to 10 players.
One down at the break and down a player, the Jets were staring down the barrel. But they never stopped battling and remained in the game till the end with the heat telling on both sides.
Sydney’s almost total dominance in the second stanza should’ve resulted in more goals with substitute Michelle Carney creating two good chances for herself late in the game and Walsh a threat all day.
Sydney FC 1 (Khamis 24)
Newcastle Jets 0
@ Seymour Shaw Park, Sydney
