A brace from Jodie Taylor has helped Melbourne Victory to a deserved 2-1 win over Newcastle Jets in the Westfield W-League at Simonds Stadium on Saturday.
The forward struck on the either side of half-time as Victory were forced to come from behind to consolidate fourth spot, with Matildas captain and now Jets goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri taking on her former team for the first time.
Jets midfielder Nicola Bolger had put the visitors ahead against the run of play eight minutes before the break, but Taylor equalised and then found a 65th-minute winner.
Victory, coming off a loss to the Brisbane Roar, dominated the early exchanges and Barbieri was called into action six minutes in, producing a strong save to deny Taylor.
The impressive Taylor thought she had made it 1-0 on 15 minutes when she tapped in a Caitlin Friend cutback, but the offside flag denied Victory the lead.
Vicki Linton’s team continued to push, but it was the Jets who took an unlikely lead in the 37th minute.
The lively Lisa de Vanna fed Bolger into the area, and she buried her shot into the top corner and to goalkeeper Brianna Davey’s right.
Victory needed just four minutes to equalise as Katrina Gorry’s well-weighted through ball found Taylor, who composed herself before placing past Barbieri and into the bottom corner to send her team into the break on level terms.
De Vanna had two penalty shouts turned down just before the hour-mark, while Gorry should have done better in a one-on-one chance with Barbieri.
Taylor completed her double and struck what proved to be the winner after an error from Jets defender Alexandra Huynh.
Huynh stumbled as she tried to nod Davey’s long ball back to Barbieri, and although Taylor was initially denied by the shot-stopper, she pounced on the loose ball to tap into an empty net for her fourth goal of the campaign.
Teenage Victory goalkeeper Davey, who was chosen ahead of Barbieri in the pre-season, was forced into action on several occasions late in the encounter, but the hosts deservedly held on for three points.
Melbourne Victory 2 (Jodie Taylor 41, 65)
Newcastle Jets 1 (Nicola Bolger 37)
