Sam Kerr and Alyssa Mautz both scored twice as Glory climbed to second on the Westfield W-League ladder courtesy of a resounding 5-2 win over reigning champions Melbourne City at nib Stadium.
The Matildas’ striker opened the scoring with a superb solo effort, then teed up Rachel Hill to ensure that the hosts took a 2-0 advantage into the break.
And although Elise Kellond-Knight’s free-kick halved the arrears early in the second half, Kerr restored the two-goal cushion with a deflected strike moments later.
Mautz then added the fourth on the hour-mark, calmly finding the net after Leticia McKenná’s shot had rebounded back off the bar.
Kellond-Knight duly bagged her second of the night from the spot after Nikki Stanton had felled Jasmyne Spencer in the box, but Mautz rounded off a fine team move late in the piece to complete the scoring.
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Head Coach Bobby Despotovski was predictably delighted with his side’s second consecutive win, a result which extends their unbeaten start to the season to four games.
“It was a roller-coaster,” he said. “The intensity was incredibly high and we’re very happy with the win.
“It’s not so much important for us to send a message to the rest of the competition; it’s important for us to keep close to Melbourne Victory on the top.
“Every time City pushed us back and ended up scoring, we quickly responded with another goal to keep that two-goal cushion.
“For a long time at 4-2, the game was in the balance and we couldn’t relax. But in the end, we got a great win.”
Kerr’s opening effort will surely be a contender for goal of the season, with the home skipper picking up possession inside her own half, surging downfield as the City defence backed off and finally bending a stunning strike into the net from just inside the box.
And she turned provider not long after, latching on to a fine long pass from Shannon May before squaring for Hill who slotted home her third goal of the season amidst a crowded box.
In a lively first half, Eliza Campbell was forced into action to twice foil Tameka Butt, while at the other end, Katie Naughton and compatriot Hill both went close to increasing Glory’s lead.
The second half started in a similar vein, with Kellond-Knight bending a fine free-kick past Campbell before Kerr struck again and then Mautz stayed alert to fire home the loose ball and make it 4-1.
Kellond-Knight’s subsequent penalty on 68 minutes gave Rado Vidosic’s side a glimmer of hope, but Glory held firm and added some gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time when Kerr laid on the chance for Mautz to claim her fourth of the season from close range.
Match Details
Sunday, 25 November 2018
Perth Glory 5 (Kerr 10′, 52′, Hill 21′, Mautz 65′, 90+4′) Melbourne City 2 (Kellond-Knight 49′, pen 68′)
nib Stadium
Attendance: 2138
Referee: Katie Patterson
Assistant Referee 1: Matthew Southern
Assistant Referee 2: Adrien Liechti
Fourth Official: Shane Skinner
Perth Glory: 1.Eliza CAMPBELL (gk), 3.Kim CARROLL, 4.Alyssa MAUTZ, 5.Shannon MAY, 7.Nicole STANTON , 9.Rachel HILL, 11.Leticia MCKENNA (18. Isabella FOLETTA 76′) , 12.Jenna ONIONS (13.Jamie-Lee GALE 80′), 20.Sam KERR (c), 24.Natasha RIGBY, 25.Katie NAUGHTON
Substitutes not used: 14.Caitlin DOEGLAS, 22.Morgan AQUINO (gk)
Yellow cards: Stanton
Red cards: Nil
Melbourne City: 1.Lydia WILLIAMS (gk), 2.Yukari KINGA ( 10.Nia STAMATOPOULOS 86′), 3.Lauren BARNES, 4.Chelsea BLISSETT, 8.Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, 11.Rhali DOBSON (16.Sofia SAKALIS, 70′), 17.Kyah SIMON (5.Helen CACERES, 46′), 19.Tyla-Jay VLAJNIC, 22.Jasmyne SPENCER, 31.Tameka BUTT, 88.Theresa NIELSEN
Substitutes not used: 23.Melissa BARBIERI (gk)
Yellow cards: Nil
Red cards: Nil
#OneGlory
