Westfield W-League leader Queensland underlined its title credentials in a 5-3 come-from-behind win over the Perth Glory at Members Equity Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Roar took the lead in the second minute through Lauren Colthorpe but then conceded three goals in the first half to the unfancied Glory as Samantha Kerr, Lisa De Vanna and Marianna Tabain struck.
But the last-placed Glory couldn’t hold on as Queensland upped its attack in the second half, pulling one back through Lana Harch before Elise Kellond-Knight equalised just before the hour.
The Glory looked in with a chance of grabbing the points when Roar skipper Kate McShea received a second yellow card in the 82nd minute, but they failed to make the numbers count as Queensland added two late goals through Stephanie Latham and Courtney Beutel.
It appeared the Glory were in for a bad day at the office, though, when the Roar took the lead two minutes in with virtually their first attack of the game.
Matilda Claire Polkinghorne slipped her marker and delivered a low cross from the right that Luisa Marzotto got her hand to but couldn’t grab. The ball bobbed up and Colthorpe was on hand to nod it home.
But if everything had gone to script so far for the highflying visitors, it was about to go horribly awry.
In the seventh minute Kerr flicked the ball over an advancing defence and accelerated onto her own pass, firing home an angled drive from the right that beat Casey Dumont in the Roar goal.
Queensland responded two minutes later as Kellond-Knight’s free kick caused havoc in the Glory box, but the desperate clearance fell kindly and allowed De Vanna to counter-attack, sending her shot over the bar.
The Roar were struggling to break down a Glory defence ably led by Stacey Learmont and their own back four, missing the injured Kim Carroll who injured her anterior cruciate ligament last week against Sydney, was looking all at sea attempting to contain the attacking quartet of Kerr, De Vanna, Elisa D’Ovidio and Tabain.
In the 19th minute D’Ovidio sliced a shot wide from a good position with only Dumont to beat while Kerr fired in another shot from the right, although it was straight at the goalkeeper this time.
The Roar’s scoring opportunities were mainly restricted to a series of corners as the Glory defence held firm, although the visitor’s efforts weren’t helped by some poor disposal going forward.
Five minutes before the break, De Vanna made them pay as she cleverly gave Perth the lead. The Matildas’ striker had spotted Roar stopper Dumont coming way off her line and she expertly chipped the ball over the defence and into an empty net.
The Roar produced a dangerous attack in the 45th minute when Marzotto was forced to bravely grab a corner from Harch but it only got better for the Glory deep into first-half injury time when Tabain extended the advantage, bundling the ball over after Dumont couldn’t control a cutback from Kerr.
Having conceded more goals in that one half than they had for the entire season up until then, Queensland came out breathing fire in the second half.
Three minutes after the break, Alicia Ferguson flicked an effort towards goal before the Roar drew one back a minute later when Harch produced a spectacular long-range curler that flew above Marzotto’s hands and into the net.
Perth’s Collette McCallum then sent a long-range free kick over the bar just before the hour after De Vanna was tripped by Alicia Ferguson but that was the cue for Queensland to level the scores, as Kellond-Knight ran onto a sensational through ball, drilling the ball into the top right-hand corner.
With scores level once again, the defences from both sides tightened, producing an intense period of end-to-end football before Perth was given hope when the Roar were reduced to 10 women in the 82nd minute when McShea received a second yellow card for bringing down D’Ovidio.
But the extra space seemed to help the Roar regain momentum as second-half substitute Latham gave the Queenslanders the lead again, drilling the ball home at the near post in the 89th minute after Marzotto had blocked her first effort.
And, in injury-time, the Roar added some sheen to the result as Beutel drilled in the fifth from the left.
Match Details
Perth Glory 3 (Sam Kerr 7-, Lisa De Vanna 40-, Marianna Tabain 45+-)
Queensland Roar 5 (Lauren Colthorpe 2-, Lana Harch 49-, Elise Kellond-Knight 57-, Stephanie Latham 89-, Courtney Beutel 93-)
Members Equity Stadium, Perth
Sunday 7 December 2008
Referee: Casey Reibelt
Assistant Referees: Trent Fleskens, Tim Mihevc
Fourth Official: David Costello
Perth Glory line-up: 30.Luisa MARZOTTO (gk), 2.Stacey LEARMONT, 3.Carys HAWKINS (6.Katarina JUKIC 87-), 4.Sam KERR, 7.Ciara CONWAY, 8.Tanya OXTOBY (c), 11.Lisa DE VANNA, 12.Dani CALAUTTI, 13.Elisa D-OVIDIO, 14.Collette McCALLUM, 17.Marianna TABAIN
Substitutes not used: 5.Shannon MAY, 9.Katy COGHLAN, 20.Maya DIEDERICHSEN (gk)
Yellow cards: Sam KERR 27-, Lisa DE VANNA 31-
Red Cards: Nil
Queensland Roar line-up: 1.Casey DUMONT(gk), 2.Kate McSHEA, 3.Karla REUTER, 4.Clare POLKINGHORNE, 5.Brooke SPENCE, 8.Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT (19.Ellen BEAUTMONT 74-) 9.Alicia FERGUSON, 10.Lana HARCH, 13.Tameka BUTT (15.Stephanie LATHAM 87-), 16.Lauren COLTHORPE, 18.Courtney BEUTEL
Substitutes not used: 17. Tashina ROMA, 20.Lara BOON (gk)
Yellow cards: Kate McSHEA 38-/82-, Alicia FERGUSON 55-
Red Cards: Kate McSHEA 82-
