Glory’s ALW Finals hopes remain alive after a stoppage-time goal from Tijan McKenna, the first of her A-League career, secured a dramatic 3-3 draw with Central Coast Mariners in Gosford on Friday evening.
Click HERE for full match video highlights
Despite dominating in the early stages, Stephen Peters’ side fell behind to a 19th-minute effort from Jessika Nash, before Sarah O’Donoghue’s long-range free-kick restored parity early in the second half.
The Glory midfielder then took her tally for the season to three with a fine finish to put the visitors in front, only for the Mariners to hit back through Annalise Rasmussen and Tiana Fuller.
Trailing 3-2 with only seconds left, Glory’s season looked done, but O’Donoghue came to the fore once again, this time surging to the edge of the box before picking out McKenna whose low shot found the back of the net via the foot of the near post.
The draw leaves Glory six points outside the top six with four games remaining, three of which are at home where they have won their last three on the bounce.
Central Coast had suffered three consecutive defeats coming into the Round 19 clash and had their confidence further shaken as Glory made an aggressive and fast start.
O’Donoghue muscled her way into a shooting position with just four minutes gone, only to fire over, before Grace Johnston capped a rapid counter-attack by shooting straight at Sarah Langman.
The former Glory ‘keeper was then called into action again almost immediately, this time just managing to claw away an audacious long-range lob from McKenna.
The visitors were very much in the ascendancy at this point and it therefore came as a major surprise when it was the Mariners who drew first blood.
A Taylor Ray corner was not dealt with by the Glory defence and when the loose ball fell kindly for Nash, she gleefully hammered it into the roof of the net to claim her first A-League goal.
Casey Dumont then foiled Rasmussen in a one-on-one situation and Isabel Gomez and Peta Trimis also went close as the Mariners enjoyed their best spell of the game either side of the break.
But Glory successfully weathered the storm and made it 1-1 in bizarre circumstances as O’Donoghue free-kick, from some 40m out and close to the left touchline, somehow eluded Langman at her near post and flew into the net.
If her first goal was a touch fortunate, O’Donoghue’s second on the hour-mark was pure quality as Izzy Dalton and Megan Wynne combined to slip her in on goal and she cleverly dinked the ball over the advancing Langman.
That set up a frantic final half-hour which began with Rasmussen tapping home a Trimis cross to level things up again, before Gomez sent Fuller racing clear on goal and the teenage substitute calmly rounded Dumont and slotted home.
Glory’s cause appeared to be lost, but as they launched one final desperate attack, O’Donoghue spotted the supporting run of McKenna and the versatile Perth local picked the perfect moment to bag her maiden ALW goal.
Match Details
Ninja A-League 2024-25 Season Round 19
Central Coast Mariners 3 (Nash 19′, Rasmussen 62′, Fuller 70′) Perth Glory 3 (O’Donoghue 49′, 56′, McKenna 90+3′)
Half-time: 1-0
Industree Group Stadium
Referee: Molly Godsell
Central Coast Mariners : 1 Sarah LANGMAN (gk), 4. Jessika NASH, 5. Annabel MARTIN, 6. Isabel GOMEZ, 7. Jade PENNOCK, 8. Bianca GALIC (21. Brooke NUNN 46′), 10. Taylor RAY, 11. Annalise RASMUSSEN (12. Tiana FULLER 64′), 13. Sarah ROWE (25. Blake HUGHES 78′), 16. Tess QUILLIGAN, 22. Peta TRIMIS (23. Lily MCMAHON 85′)
Substitutes not used: 20. Chloe CARMICHAEL (gk)
Yellow Cards: Rowe, Martin
Red Cards: None
Perth Glory: 1.Casey DUMONT (gk), 3.Hollie PALMER (2.Mischa ANDERSON 90′), 5.Grace JOHNSTON (10.Susan PHONSONGKHAM 62′), 6.Tijan MCKENNA, 7.Megan WYNNE (25.Ella LINCOLN 76′), 11.Natalie TATHEM, 13.Naomi CHINNAMA, 18.Izzy FOLETTA (27.Charli WAINWRIGHT, 76′), 19.Sarah O’DONOGHUE, 23.Izzy DALTON (c), 29.Onyinyechi ZOGG
Substitutes not used: 21.Miranda TEMPLEMAN (gk)
Yellow Cards: Wynne, O’Donoghue, Palmer
Red Cards: None
#ONEGlory
