Defending premiers Brisbane Roar have consolidated their spot in the top two of the Westfield W-League with an emphatic 6-2 win over Newcastle Jets at Wanderers Oval, Newcastle on Saturday afternoon.
Defending premiers Brisbane Roar have consolidated their spot in the top two of the Westfield W-League with an emphatic 6-2 win over Newcastle Jets at Wanderers Oval, Newcastle on Saturday afternoon.
Brisbane dominated the match from the opening whistle and had two goals in quick succession from Vedrana Popovic and Emily Gielnik inside the opening 20 minutes.
Gielnik completed her brace and made it 3-0 midway through the first half before the visitors scored two goals early in the second stanza through Tameka Butt and Clare Polkinghorne to extend their advantage to 5-0.
The Jets fought back with two consolation goals to Tara Andrews and Rhali Dobson in the second half before Roar substitute Hayley Raso rounded out a comprehensive win for the visitors with a well taken goal in stoppage time.
The match got underway in warm conditions and it was the visitors who quickly asserted their dominance over a youthful Jets outfit with a swath of possession and territory in the opening stages of the match.
But after absorbing an onslaught of early pressure it was the Jets who should have opened the scoring in the 12th minute after a cross from Hannah Beard found Rhali Dobson on the six yard box but she blasted her shot over the bar.
The visitors continued to dictate the tempo of the match and were rewarded in the 17th minute when a cross found Vedrana Popovic in the area who slotted past debutant Jets keeper Claire Coelho.
Brisbane doubled their lead less than two minutes later after Popovic was afforded too much space down the right and her low cross found Emily Gielnik on the penalty spot who calmly placed her shot past a helpless Coelho.
The Jets steadied after conceding the goals and enjoyed brief periods of pressure but were unable to translate their possession into clear cut opportunities.
The visitors extended their advantage in the 32nd minute after Gielnik was put through one on one and dinked a clever finish past the onrushing Coelho to make it 3-0 heading into the half-time break.
The second half started much the same as the first with the Roar enjoying the majority of possession and they made it 4-0 in the 52nd minute through the impressive Tameka Butt who headed home from 10 yards via a deflected through ball.
The defending premiers made it 5-0 from the penalty spot after Tameka Butt was brought down inside the area by Jets substitute Sophie Nenadovic with Roar skipper Clare Polkinghorne making no mistake from 12 yards.
The Jets tried hard in the second half with Rhali Dobson a standout for the hosts with her speed and enthusiasm providing a constant threat to a well organised Roar defence.
Her persistence was rewarded in the 73rd minute after she was brought down in the area by Roar defender Laura Alleway and Jets striker Tara Andrews converted from the spot to make it 5-1.
Dobson deservedly found the score sheet herself less than three minutes later after she was put through one on one with Kate Stewart before sublimely dinking a chip over the outstretched Roar custodian.
The visitors added one more right on the full-time whistle through substitute Hayley Raso who got in behind the Jets defence before lifting a shot over the hapless Coelho to punctuate a dominant victory.
Newcastle Jets: 20. Claire Coelho (GK), 2. Hannah Brewer, 3. Stacey Day (Sophie Nenadovic 45min) 4. Siahn Bozanic (Ciara McCormack 45min) 6. Ashley Spina, 7. Gema Simon (capt) 9. Tara Andrews, 10. Rhali Dobson, 12. Hannah Beard, 13. Jasmin Courtenay (Cassidy Davis 81min) 17. Lauren Brown
Unused substitute – 1. Eliza Campbell
Brisbane Roar: 20. Kate Stewart (GK), 2. Laura Alleway, 4. Clare Pokinghorne (c), 5. Brooke Spence, 7. Kim Carrol, 8. Elise Kellond-Knight, 10. Katrina-Lee Gorry (Larissa Crummer 71min), 11. Vedrana Popovic, 13.Tameka Butt, 14. Natasha Wheeler (Hayley Raso 54min) 17. Emily Gielnik (Joanne Burgess 45min)
Unused substitute – 1. Nadine Angerer (GK)
