Glory remain unbeaten in the Westfield W-League this season after staging a remarkable late comeback to secure a thrilling 4-4 draw away at Canberra United.
The visitors had lost on each of their previous eight visits to McKellar Park and looked set to extend that poor run when they trailed 4-1 with only eight minutes left having also lost Sarah Carroll to a 65th-minute red card.
But Alyssa Mautz reduced the arrears, before Leticia McKenna marked her senior debut by thumping home a dipping volley and then in stoppage time, Rachel Corsie diverted Sam Kerr’s cross into her own net to ensure that the spoils would be shared.
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The tone for a dramatic afternoon had been set as early as the fifth minute when another own-goal, this time from Denise O’Sullivan handed Glory the lead.
Within a minute, however, the hosts equalised via a Refiloe Jane penalty and further goals from Rhoda Mulaudzi and Maria Rojas took them out to a 3-1 lead at the break.
When Carroll picked up a second yellow card on 65 minutes and Jane converted another spot-kick shortly afterwards, Glory’s cause looked well and truly lost.
But Bobby Despotovski’s side showed incredible resilience to battle their way back into the contest and secure a 4-4 draw, the same scoreline the two teams produced when they met in Bunbury last season.
“It was very exciting,” said Despotovski.
“The game in itself, I think we had most of the play from the back, but we struggled to create anything up front in the first half and got caught a couple of times.
“Everything that Canberra created in the first half was from our own mistakes and we need to eliminate those if we are to progress.
“In the second half, we brought on a couple of young players who managed to provide Sam (Kerr) with the right kind of service and we got back into the game.
“If the game had gone another five minutes, we might well have won it.
“But I’m not complaining; we came back from 4-1 down.”
Glory return to action on Saturday 17 November when Western Sydney Wanderers will be the visitors to Dorrien Gardens.
Match Details
Westfield W-League 2018/19 Season Round 2
Canberra United 4 (Jane 7′ (pen) 77′ (pen), Mulaudzi 30′, Rojas 46+1′) Perth Glory 4 (O’Sullivan (o.g.) 5′, Mautz 82′, McKenna 87′, Corsie 90′)
Half time: 3-1
Venue: McKellar Park, Canberra
Referee: Lara Lee
Assistant Referee 1: Georgia Ghirardello
Assistant Referee 2: Lauren Hargrave
Fourth Official: Delfina Dimoski
Canberra United: 20. Shamiran KHAMIS (gk), 2. Laura HUGHES (21. Ellie CARPENTER 68′), 3. Natasha PRIOR, 4. Rachel CORSIE (c), 5. Nikola ORGILL, 6. Refiloe JANE, 9. Rhoda MULAUDZI (13.Megan MCELLIGOTT 86′), 11. Denise O’SULLIVAN, 16. Karly ROESTBAKKEN, 19. Nickoletta FLANNERY, 23. Maria JOSE ROJAS (7. Aoife COLVILL 75′)
Substitutes not used: 1. Melissa MAIZELS (gk)
Yellow cards: Jane
Red cards: None
Perth Glory FC: 1.Eliza CAMPBELL (gk), 2.Sarah CARROLL, 3.Kim CARROLL, 4.Alyssa MAUTZ, 5.Shannon MAY (6.Abbey MEAKINS 78′), 7.Nicole STANTON , 9.Rachel HILL, 14.Caitlin DOEGLAS (11.Leticia MCKENNA 66′), 20.Sam KERR (c), 24.Natasha RIGBY (12.Jenna ONIONS 66′), 25.Katie NAUGHTON
Substitutes not used: 23.Stacey CAVILL (gk),
Yellow cards: Kim Carroll, Mautz, Kerr
Red cards: Sarah Carroll
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