Western United have broken back into the top six with a 4-1 win over Perth Glory on Tuesday night, highlighted by Grace Maher’s spectacular first-half Olimpico struck directly from a corner.
A Claudia Valletta own goal put Western on top at Ironbark Fields and just two minutes after taking the lead, the hosts doubled their advantage with Maher’s spectacular strike which, incredibly, was the fourth Olimpico scored in the 2024-25 Ninja A-League season so far.
Maher has scored twice from corners during her time at Western United following a goal of similar style in the 2023-24 campaign.
Melissa Taranto made it 3-0 in the second half with a long-range bomb before Glory striker Gabby Hollar made things interesting with a goal in the 81st minute. But Glory’s hopes for a comeback were short-lived thanks to Aimee Medwin’s sealing goal just before added time.
Western’s 4-1 win over Glory came in the final game of Round 9 – a round split across three weeks that featured six midweek games.
Now that Round 9 is complete, all teams are level on 12 games played and, thanks to Tuesday’s win against Perth, Western have jumped into sixth spot on the Ninja A-League table.
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Speaking to Network 10 post-game, Melissa Taranto was asked to recap her long-range stunner against the Glory, and whether she had any hesitancy to unleash the shot having scored just two Ninja A-League goals prior to Tuesday night.
“Actually the opposite,” Taranto said.
“I got told off last week for not shooting by Chloe Logarzo, she yelled at me! I had her in my head, so I just went for the shot, and it paid off.”
For the second game in a row, Taranto played from the start alongside twin sister Adriana – who returned from an ACL injury in January.
Melissa Taranto says having Adriana back has breathed new life into her own game as she takes inspiration from her sister’s comeback.
“It’s incredible. I basically saw every day how hard she worked to get back. People kept telling me since she’s come back I’ve got this second wind. She’s so important not only for the team, but having played with her my whole life, it’s so much fun playing with her.”
More than 30 minutes ticked by without incident at Ironbark Fields before a late flurry of action saw Western take a two-goal lead into half-time.
The home side’s first goal of the afternoon was an own goal scored by Glory defender Claudia Valletta.
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Just two minutes after taking the lead, Western received an attacking corner from which Maher doubled the advantage with an ‘Olimpico’ struck direct from a corner.
It was the second Olimpico scored in the Ninja A-League in a matter of days following Wellington Phoenix defender Manaia Elliott’s dramatic match-winner against Newcastle Jets in Round 12.
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Shortly after half-time, Glory had the chance to get back into the game when Gabby Hollar attacked a dangerous corner delivery from Isabel Dalton. The American made first contact with the ball but angled her header just wide; in the process, Hollar clashed heads with Western forward Sara Eggesvik in a heavy collision between the two opponents.
Kahli Johnson then had a chance to go one goal clear on the Ninja A-League’s Golden Boot leaderboard with a left-footed strike from the edge of the area – but Casey Dumont got down to her right to make a strong save.
Catherine Zimmerman pounced on the loose ball after Dumont had pushed it off target but defender Naomi Chinnama got back to support and divert the shot away for a corner.
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With less than 20 minutes to play, Western pulled three goals clear when Melissa Taranto drove through midfield and lasered a low shot into the bottom-left corner.
Taranto hadn’t scored in the Ninja A-League for 15 months and having broken her goalless drought, the hosts looked set to cruise to a routine win before a late twist set up a nervy finish for the hosts.
Hollar had looked the most dangerous of Glory’s attackers on Tuesday night and having threatened to score earlier in the second half, produced in the 81st minute having initially struck the crossbar before firing home on the rebound.
Unfortunately for the visitors, Hollar’s 81st-minute goal couldn’t inspire an unexpected comeback, as Medwin restored Western’s three-goal advantage in the 87th minute.