Injury casts doubt on Gomez, Prior’s Matildas hopes

Jasper Bruce and Joanna Guelas |

Isabel Gomez has suffered a game-ending knee injury during Central Coast’s draw with the Victory.
Isabel Gomez has suffered a game-ending knee injury during Central Coast’s draw with the Victory.

Isabel Gomez and Natasha Prior’s hopes of a dream Matildas debut have been thrown into doubt after the duo suffered injuries in their respective A-League Women (ALW) matches.

Central Coast’s Gomez suffered a knee injury after colliding with Melbourne Victory’s Eloise Wilson during the second half of the 1-1 draw in the Unite Round clash at Jubilee Stadium.

Newcastle defender Prior was then substituted out of their 1-1 draw with Western United, suffering an ankle injury in the second ALW match on Saturday.

Prior was one of three Jets to suffer an injury during their game, joined on the sidelines by NRLW star Sheridan Gallagher and Lara Gooch.

Lara Gooch.
Teenage midfielder Lara Gooch on the attack for the Jets. (Will Murray/AAP PHOTOS)

After receiving on-field medical attention, Mariners midfielder Gomez was able to walk off the pitch slowly but needed ice on her right knee as she watched from the bench. 

Peta Trimis replaced Gomez, who cut a forlorn figure as she watched on.

Wilson was shown a yellow card for the contact.

Jets defender Prior injured her ankle following a collision with United goalkeeper Tiahna Robertson in the eighth minute.

Prior tried to play on but was eventually replaced by Libby Copus-Brown in the 37th minute.

The duo’s injury comes ahead of the Matildas’ friendlies against Brazil, in Queensland on November 28 and December 1, and against Taiwan in Victoria on December 4 and 7.

Gomez and Prior were two of five players handed their first call-up by interim Matildas coach Tom Sermanni last Friday and both could be in doubt depending on the severity their respective injuries.

Captain Kayla Morrison salvaged a point for the Victory with a header in the final minutes of regulation time in the clash with the Mariners.

Victory fell behind attempting to avenge last year’s elimination final heartbreak, Brooke Nunn creating the opener for teenage striker Annalise Rasmussen only 12 minutes into the game.

The Melburnians did not have a shot on target until the final six minutes of regular time but just when history looked set to repeat itself, Alana Jancevski lined up a free kick from outside the box.

She found New Zealander Claudia Bunge, who flicked the ball up for captain Morrison to head home.

Central Coast will rue letting a second win of the season slip through the fingers, but nevertheless remain unbeaten through four rounds.

Later on Saturday, Western United salvaged a point from their clash with Newcastle after defender Grace Maher scored in the 80th minute.

Maher unleashed from outside the box cancel out Jets centre-back Claudia Cicco’s 71st-minute goal.

Western United should have drawn first blood after Cicco gave away a penalty in the first half.

Her hand grazed the ball as Sasha Grove made a goal attempt.

But captain Chloe Logarzo fumbled the opportunity, sending the ball into the goalpost in the 11th minute.

The Jets were forced to finish with 10 players after Gooch left the ground in the 86th minute when her knee gave out following a contest.

Having already played every available substitute, Newcastle coach Ryan Campbell had no options to fill the void left by Gooch.

The 19-year-old herself was a substitute for Gallagher.

AAP