Kelli Brown bagged a brace and Susan Phonsongkham also scored on her return from injury as Glory downed Western United 3-0 at the Sam Kerr Football Centre on Friday evening to keep their Finals hopes flickering.
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Click HERE for Stephen Peters’ post-match media conference
Click HERE for Kelli Brown’s post-match interview
Brown rounded off a fine move involving Tijan McKenna and Sarah O’Donoghue to fire the hosts in front midway through the first half and grabbed her second to give her side breathing space eight minutes from time.
The icing was then applied to the cake by Phonsongkham who converted from the spot after former Glory defender Claudia Mihocic had handled in the box.
United certainly played their part in what was a tighter encounter than the scoreline suggests and struck the post through Chloe Logarzo in the first half.
But the 71st-minute dismissal of Julia Sardo for a last-player foul on Megan Wynne all but scuppered their chances of clawing their way back into the game.
The result leaves Glory six points outside the top six with five games remaining, three of which are at home where they have now won their last three on the bounce.
Stephen Peters’ side seized the initiative right from the off on a mild night in the West and came close to taking the lead inside the opening five minutes as Wynne saw her effort cleared off the line by Sardo.
Moments later, O’Donoghue created a chance for Brown whose angled effort was parried by Chloe Lincoln, but there was nothing the United ‘keeper could do to prevent the same duo from combining to break the deadlock moments later.
McKenna showed great tenacity to force a turnover in the centre circle, O’Donoghue then found Brown with a sublime, around-the-corner pass and the newly-capped New Zealand international calmly slotted home.
The visitors almost mustered an immediate response as a Logarzo strike from the edge of the box struck the foot of the post and having forced their way back into the game as the half progressed, they went close again when Isabel Dehakiz was denied by a spectacular, one-handed save from Casey Dumont.
United began the second half in similarly purposeful fashion, enjoying plenty of possession and territory, but they failed to seriously test Dumont and having kept their charge at bay, Glory gradually began to look more threatening on the break.
It was from one such counter-attack that the game swung dramatically in the home side’s favour as the industrious Wynne got the better of Sardo and was set to surge into the box when the former Glory defender hauled her down.
Out came the red card and with it the wind from Western’s sails as Glory proceeded to swiftly double their advantage.
Natalie Tathem picked out Brown’s run into the area and although the striker’s initial effort was blocked, the loose ball fell kindly for her and she gleefully rolled it into the empty net to take her tally for the season to five.
To round off a memorable evening for the women in purple, long-term injury absentee Phonsongkham came off the bench and calmly sent Lincoln the wrong way from the spot to make it 3-0, with the defence then successfully navigating the final moments to lock in a hard-earned first clean sheet of the season.
Match Details
Ninja A-League 2024-25 Season Round 18
Perth Glory 3 (Brown 14′, 82′, Phonsongkham (pen) 86′) Western United 0
Half-time: 1-0
Sam Kerr Football Centre
Friday 7 March 2025
Attendance: 873
Referee: Georgia Ghirardello
Perth Glory: 1.Casey DUMONT (gk), 3.Hollie PALMER (10.Susan PHONSONGKHAM 68′), 6.Tijan MCKENNA, 7.Megan WYNNE, 11.Natalie TATHEM, 13.Naomi CHINNAMA, 18.Izzy FOLETTA (2.Mischa ANDERSON 83′), 19.Sarah O’DONOGHUE (27.Charli WAINWRIGHT 68′), 23.Izzy DALTON (co-c), 29.Onyinyechi ZOGG (co-c), 44.Kelli BROWN (25.Ella LINCOLN 83′)
Substitutes not used: 21.Miranda TEMPLEMAN (gk)
Yellow Cards: Brown
Red Cards: None
Western United: 36. Chloe LINCOLN (gk), 4. Claudia MIHOCIC, 5. Aimee MEDWIN (19.Alana CORTELLINO 61′), 6. Chloe LOGARZO (c) (7. Kiara DE DOMIZIO 87′), 8. Sasha GROVE, 9. Sara EGGESVIK (20. Keiwa HIEDA 88′), 15. Adriana TARANTO, 18. Grace MAHER, 24. Julia SARDO, 28. Isabel DEHAKIZ, 34. Catherine ZIMMERMAN (22. Alana CERNE 61′)
Substitutes not used: 26.Natalie PICAK (gk)
Yellow Cards: Logarzo
Red Cards: Sardo
#ONEGlory
