Roar of frustration as Canberra clinch ALW finals spot
Adrian Warren |
A Tameka Yallop hat-trick wasn’t enough to keep Brisbane’s A-League Women title hopes alive, with Canberra celebrating Michelle Heyman’s record 2O0th appearance by clinching the last finals spot.
A 25th-minute Madison Ayson goal from close range gave Canberra a 1-0 home win over Wellington, ending the Phoenix’s faint finals hopes.
A Brisbane home win at Perry Park against bottom side Western Sydney would have kept the Roar within two points of Canberra going into next week’s final round.
The Roar led 2-0, 3-1 and 4-3, but a long-range equaliser from the Wanderers’ Sophie Harding in added time secured the visitors a 4-4 draw and extinguished Brisbane’s finals hopes.
Canberra’s win at McKellar Park also ended Sydney’s chances, meaning the Sky Blues miss out on finals for the first time in the 17-season history of the national women’s competition.
Heyman, who became the first player to reach the 200-match milestone, twice came close to adding to her seven goals for the season.
She had a shot saved by Carolina Vilao when put through in a one-on-one, and just before halftime missed from close range when she couldn’t make good contact.
Ayson’s goal came straight after Heyman’s first miss. Vilao fumbled the subsequent corner and the Canberra defender tapped the ball home.
Canberra goalkeeper Sally James made a couple of fine second-half saves to preserve United’s lead and clinch their first finals appearance since 2020-21.
In Brisbane, Yallop, back from Matildas duty, boosted her ALW tally for the season to 12 with a hat-trick, and was denied two more goals by good saves.
She opened the scoring with a precise right-foot shot, then doubled the Roar’s advantage on the half-hour with a powerful left-foot drive.
Bronte Trew pulled a goal back for the Wanderers, but the half ended on an explosive note, with referee Molly Godsell sending off two players.
Matildas forward Laini Freier scuffled with Wanderers goalkeeper Sham Khamis, and both were dismissed.
The drama continued after the break, with Brisbane’s Leia Varley hitting the crossbar, before Momo Hayashi restored the Roar’s two-goal lead with a cracking right-foot volley.
The Wanderers fought back, with goals to Holly Caspers and Madison McComasky pulling them level.
Within a minute of McComasky’s equaliser, Yallop put Brisbane ahead with a firm header, but Harding stunned the home crowd with her late strike.
Brisbane have gone winless in their past eight games, picking up just two points in that period.
AAP
