Newcastle Jets are still alive in the finals hunt after a late brace to Melina Ayres sealed an incredible 3-2 comeback win for Newcastle Jets over Melbourne Victory at No.2 Sportsground on Saturday afternoon.
Victory took a 2-1 in the second half, with Rachel Lowe and Tori Hansen’s goals coming either side of Lauren Allan’s equaliser just before half-time, and the visitors held that lead until the 80th minute when Ayres turned the tide against her former club.
Ayres came off the bench to score two goals in the space of seven minutes and haul the Jets to a 3-2 triumph, bagging her match-winning strike from the edge of the area with a bullet fired into the top-left corner.
Three points against Victory brought the Jets level on 30 points with sixth-placed Western Sydney Wanderers, guaranteeing Newcastle’s fight for a spot in the finals would carry into the final round of the season.
Jets keeper Izzy Nino earned a straight red card for her role in a late fracas sparked by MelindaJ Barbieri and Emily Gielnik, and will miss her side’s final-round clash with Adelaide United.
“Newcastle keep their season alive, in the most amazing fashion!” Said commentator Teo Pellizzeri as the final whistle blew.
“Melina Ayres came back to haunt her former club, the Melbourne Victory. Two goals, and the Jets came from behind to win.
“A match that finished in acrimony with Izzy Nino red carded… Newcastle are alive in the top six race, Melbourne Victory have not locked in their spot. What a match in Newcastle!”
The Jets hadn’t beaten Victory in their previous eight attempts, and hadn’t beaten the visiting side at home since September 2014 but snapped all sorts of records in the pulsating win.
Victory needed just a point to secure their spot in the post-season but are left to fight to earn their finals status in Round 22 against Sydney FC.
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The Jets trailed after 15 minutes and the hosts were unfortunate to find themselves trailing, having struck the woodwork twice before Victory’s opener.
Sophie Hoban was first to rattle the crossbar, swooping in to divert Sarina Bolden’s header from a corner toward the roof of the net but a touch off Victory defender Jamilla Rankin saved the day for the visitors.
Bolden was next to go close for the Jets, rising over her marker to meet Lauren Allan’s cross to the back post and crashing her header off the crossbar.
Victory rubbed salt into the wound soon after. Emily Gielnik picked out Rachel Lowe with a cutback cross and although her volleyed attempt went wide, Sara D’Appolonia fed the ball back to Lowe to score her 11th goal of the season.
Cassidy Davis threatened to level the score with just the third goal of her Liberty A-League career but couldn’t beat Courtney Newbon in goal for Victory – but Allan had no such issues, sliding in at the back post to give the Jets a richly-deserved equaliser in the 40th minute.
Bolden came so close to a second for the hosts just before half-time but her first-time attempt off Allan’s cross was kept out by a stellar Newbon save as an entertaining first half ended with the two sides locked level.
Newcastle’s parity was short-lived as Tori Hansen restored Victory’s lead soon after half-time.
The American defender ventured forward for a free kick and met Rankin’s delivery at the back post with a well-timed volley.
Lowe almost made it 3-1 before the half-hour mark with a shot from distance but Nino tipped the ball off the crossbar and gathered on the rebound.
Ayres brought the Jets level with a goal out of nothing, rolling her marker to meet Allan’s throw-in with a first-time attempt from just inside the box which beat Newbon on its way into the bottom-right corner.
Inspired to heap further pain onto her former side, Ayres popped up again to become the hero for the Jets.
Allan was in the thick of the action once more, winning the ball off Emma Checker and feeding Ayres to strike from distance into the top-left corner and rescue Newcastle’s season.
Things got ugly for both the Jets and Victory as a late fracas led to multiple cards – including a straight red to Jets keeper Nino for her role in the incident sparked by Emily Gielnik and MelindaJ Barbieri.
