Melbourne City extended our unbeaten streak to 15 games on Friday night in Tarneit.
Western United controversially took the lead late in the first half, but City eventually found a way to respond, netting an 83rd-minute equaliser to secure a hard-fought point.
TEAM NEWS
Michael Matricciani made just one change to his starting XI following last weekend’s comfortable victory in the top-of-the-table clash against Brisbane.
Rhianna Pollicina returned to lead the attack, with Kathryn Harvey shifting to the bench.
Starting XI: 24. Malena MIERES (GK), 8. Alexia APOSTOLAKIS, 5. Taylor OTTO, 13. Rebekah STOTT (C), 27. Tyla-Jay VLAJNIC, 14. Laura HUGHES, 18. Leah DAVIDSON, 6. Leticia McKENNA, 19. Lourdes BOSCH, 17. Mariana SPECKMAIER, 10. Rhianna POLLICINA.
Substitutes: 23. Melissa BARBIERI (GK), 7. Kathryn HARVEY, 9. Holly McNAMARA, 12. Shelby McMAHON, 16. Karly ROESTBAKKEN.
What happened?
Western United signalled its intent early, pressing City’s defence hard right from the opening whistle.
Thanks to the leadership of Rebekah Stott and the steady presence of Malena Mieres in goal, City handled the early pressure well, often finding gaps to build from the back.
The first clear chance came in the 14th minute when Pollicina pounced on a loose ball in the box following a failed Western clearance. The City number 10 fired at goal, but couldn’t quite get the right placement on her shot and this time the effort was successfully cleared.
Despite dominating possession, chances were scarce as the game was largely contested in the middle third during the first half.
As the clock approached halftime, Western’s Kahli Johnson turned a cross towards goal, which Mieres parried into the air before collecting.
Surprisingly, despite the assistant referee remaining unmoved, the central referee controversially awarded a goal, claiming the ball had crossed the line.
Determined to move past the disputed call, Matricciani made an immediate adjustment at half-time, introducing Holly McNamara for a spark in attack for the second consecutive week.
McNamara made an instant impact, coming close to scoring twice within the opening two minutes of the second half.
City began to dominate, with Vlajnic, Bosch, and Speckmaier posing regular threats.
McNamara continued to shine, and in the 63rd minute, she broke forward in a promising 2-on-1 situation with Bosch. However, the pair couldn’t quite connect, and the chance went begging.
Twenty minutes later, the duo combined again to this time deliver the equaliser.
Bosch dazzled her defender on the right wing before delivering a perfect low cross to McNamara, who made a clever near-post run.
Despite a crowded penalty area, McNamara expertly found the back of the net to draw City level.
In the final moments, both teams pushed for a winner, creating half-chances from set pieces, but the match ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
What’s next?
City will continue our away run next weekend, travelling interstate for a Saturday afternoon clash against Western Sydney Wanderers.
