Like their male counterparts, Perth Glory Women had to be content with just a point from their match at Members Equity Stadium when Canberra stunned the home side with a last gasp equaliser.
Like their male counterparts, Perth Glory Women had to be content with just a point from their match at Members Equity Stadium when Canberra stunned the home side with a last gasp equaliser.
The Glory dominated the majority of the match and looked on track to secure their second win of the season with strikes from Elisa D-Ovidio and Lisa De Vanna either side of the break giving Perth a two goal advantage.
The match begun in sobering fashion, both teams observing a minutes silence in memory of Teresa Calautti, mother of Glory player Dani who sadly passed away during the week after a long battle with cancer.
The tragedy galvanised the Glory who dominated the first 45 and the only surprise was that it took until the 34th minute for Perth to open the scoring.
Collette McCallum fired a free kick just over the bar in the first chance of the match before a bizarre sequence of events that saw Sam Kerr collide with the keeper in the box, Ciara Conway-s resulting low drive was cleared off the line before Lisa De Vanna picked up the rebound but her shot from a tight angle cannoned off the post before eventually being cleared.
Elisa D-Ovidio opened her account and gave the crowd what they had come to see as the Glory a well deserved lead after she pounced on a poor clearance, feigning her way past the Canberra defence and firing home beyond Williams, who had come off her line.
D-Ovidio immediately ran to the Glory bench to embrace Dani Calautti as the team celebrated as one.
Sam Kerr was the architect of the Glory-s second goal nine minutes into the second half, bursting into the box from the right side and while her shot was superbly blocked by Williams, De Vanna was on hand to stab home from point blank range.
With goal scorers De Vanna, showing the effects of the physical encounter, and Elisa D-Ovidio being substituted by Coach Nicola Williams, Canberra made one last effort to salvage something from the match.
Caitlin Munoz reduced the deficit after her powerful strike was pushed onto the cross bar by new Glory ‘keeper Luisa Marzotto with the rebound ballooning into the air before spinning into the net to the dismay of the debutant.
It was a tense final ten minutes and the visitors were left to rejoice a remarkable comeback when Sykes powered away from the Glory defence to finish clinically and rescue a point.
Westfield W-League Rd 6
Perth Glory 2 (Elisa D-Ovidio 34-, Lisa De Vanna 54-)
Canberra United 2 (Caitlin Munoz 81-, Ashleigh Sykes 89-)
Sunday, 30 November 2008 at Members Equity Stadium, Perth
Crowd: 479
Referee: Lee Corey
Assistant Referees: Tim Mihevc & Josh Mihevc
Fourth Official: David Costello
Perth Glory line-up: 30.Luisa MARZOTTO (gk), 2.Stacey LEARMONT, 3.Carys HAWKINS, 4.Sam KERR, 7.Ciara CONWAY, 8.Tanya OXTOBY (c), 10.Ella MASTRANTONIO, 11.Lisa DE VANNA (6.Katarina JUKIC 74-), 13.Elisa D-OVIDIO (12.Dani CALAUTTI 69-), 14.Collette McCALLUM, 17.Marianna TABAIN (9.Katy COGHLAN 89-)
Substitutes Not Used: 20.Maya DIEDERICHSEN (gk)
Yellow Cards: Ella Mastrantonio 27-, Stacey Learmont 63-.
Red Cards: Nil
Canberra United line-up: 1.Lydia WILLIAMS (gk), 2.Rhian DAVIES (17.Christine WALTERS 84-), 3.Amy CHAPMAN, 5.Sasha MCDONNELL, 7.Ellie BRUSH (c), 8.Rebecca KITING, 9.Grace GILL, 10.Hayley CRAWFORD, 12.Kara MOWBRAY (6.Caitlin MUNOZ 65-), 14.Ashleigh SYKES, 15.Nicole SYKES (19.Jennifer BISSET 56-)
Yellow Cards: Nicole Sykes 28-, Kara Mowbray 41-, Caitlin Munoz 83-.
Red Cards: Nil
