Melbourne City shared the points on the final day of 2024 with a scoreless draw against Central Coast Mariners in our Ninja A-League New Year’s Eve clash.
Holly McNamara looked poised to be the difference after winning two penalties off the bench, but unfortunately, neither was converted, leaving us to settle for a frustrating draw.
Team News
With just three days between games, Head Coach Michael Matricciani made three changes to the starting XI.
Tyla-Jay Vlajnic missed out due to a minor hamstring injury, while skipper Rebekah Stott and Matilda Leah Davidson were shifted to the bench.
Karly Roestbakken, Mariana Speckmaier, and Rhianna Pollicina were recalled to the starting lineup.
Starting XI: 24. Malena MIERES (GK), 22. Bryleeh HENRY, 8. Alexia APOSTOLAKIS, 5. Taylor OTTO (C), 16. Karly ROESTBAKKEN, 14. Laura HUGHES, 6. Leticia McKENNA, 10. Rhianna POLLICINA, 17. Mariana SPECKMAIER, 19. Lourdes BOSCH, 7. Kathryn HARVEY.
Substitutes: 23. Melissa BARBIERI (GK), 9. Holly McNAMARA, 12. Shelby McMAHON, 13. Rebekah STOTT, 18. Leah DAVIDSON.
What happened?
The game started slowly, with City controlling possession as the team adjusted after the quick turnaround.
Lourdes Bosch (17th minute) and Kathryn Harvey (25th) registered our first shots, but Mariners goalkeeper Sarah Langman handled both efforts comfortably.
While our attack struggled to find a breakthrough, our defence remained solid. Alexia Apostolakis delivered a critical block in the 39th minute to deny Annalise Rasmussen a scoring opportunity.
Looking for a spark, Matricciani introduced Leah Davidson at halftime in place of Harvey.
Our first corner of the match finally came in the 58th minute and nearly provided the opener.
Leticia McKenna, making her 101st league appearance, collected the second-phase ball and unleashed a powerful shot that rattled the crossbar.
Holly McNamara entered the fray in the 68th minute and quickly injected energy into the game. Just six minutes later, she was fouled while driving towards goal, earning a penalty.
Rhianna Pollicina stepped up but saw her attempt saved by Langman, who dived expertly to her right.
Moments later, Langman was called into action again, denying Laura Hughes with another fine save. Leah Davidson and Karly Roestbakken also came close in quick succession, as City ramped up the pressure.
In the closing stages, McNamara was fouled in the box once more, earning a second penalty in 20 minutes.
This time, Mariana Speckmaier took the spot kick, but her effort missed the target.
Despite dominating the latter stages, the final whistle blew with the scoreline unchanged from kick-off.
What’s next?
The tight schedule continues, with just a few days to regroup before our next fixture.
We’ll be back in action on Sunday evening, travelling to face Sydney FC in another away clash.
