Brisbane Roar and Perth Glory have played out a thrilling Westfield W-League Round One clash with both teams sharing the points in a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
Midfield maestro Katrina Gorry made her 100th Westfield W-League appearance on her home turf at Suncorp Stadium and was as influential as ever, proving her experience in midfield with a number of crucial tackles throughout the match.
Head Coach Mel Andreatta was pleased her side’s performance.
“I think we controlled the game – one mistake was punished and that’s what teams will do in this league,” Andreatta said.
“Going forward, we’re in great areas often and we’ve got players to come back.”
With three of the Roar’s young talents absent due to international duties, Andreatta made some adjustments to her starting squad showcasing the fresh talents in goalkeeper Elli Chapple, Jenna McCormick and Anna Margraf, with Leah Davidson also making her debut during the second half.
“The future is looking very bright. We had three school girls on that park – one was a goalkeeper and she held her own,” Andreatta continued.
Brisbane dominated possession throughout the match and were unlucky to not take all three points on the balance of play in front of their home crowd.
“We knew we could get the win, we are disappointed we didn’t,” Andreatta said.
“It was good to see Brisbane getting right behind us. We love this city and it’s nice to see this city showing us some love back.”
Another debutant in Chioma Ubogagu looked dangerous from kick-off with her eagerness to run at players creating headaches for the Glory defence.
It would be Perth who broke through first in the 54th minute as Caitlin Doeglas squared up to Alyssa Mautz who found the back of the net, taking the Glory to a 1-0 lead.
The Roar Women built as the second progressed and pressed the Glory in the dying minutes of the game on a warm afternoon at Suncorp Stadium.
A perfectly-placed cross from Ubogagu saw the Roar draw level through Carson Pickett, who hit a first-time strike into the top corner from close range in the 87th minute.
Andreatta is positive ahead of next week’s away game against Western Sydney at Marconi Stadium.
“We know Western Sydney are a team of fighters and there is quality footballers there. We know we’ll have a hard game on our hands next week but also identified where we think we can expose them,” Andreatta continued.
“The strength of this group is an understanding that everyone can offer something to the team and the way that we want to play. “
“It’s exciting to celebrate each other’s achievements with three debutants and players to return is exciting and its healthy.”
KEY MOMENTS
- Coach Mel Andreatta’s starting XI featured four Brisbane Roar debutants – Elli Chapple, Anna Margraf, Jenna McCormick and Chioma Ubogagu.
- Brisbane-born midfielder Katrina Gorry made her 100th appearance in the Westfield W-league
- Alyssa Mautz handed the Glory the lead just nine minutes after half-time, finishing off a lethal counter-attack Goal from Alyssa Mautz in the 54th minute
- In response to going behind, the Roar pressed hard and ultimately reaped the benefits, securing an equalising goal in the 87th minute.
GOALS
Perth Glory – Mautz 54’ – 1-0
Left winger Caitlin Doeglas breaks through the Roar’s defence on halfway, running with the ball towards goal before playing a square pass to Alyssa Mautz who finishes with ease.
Brisbane Roar – Pickett 87’ – 1-1
After dominating possession and having several shots on goal, a break down in play from a Roar throw in sees Ubogau find the feet of Pickett with a cross across goal before the American fullback hits the ball first time into the net.
MATCH DETAILS
Westfield W-League Round 1: Brisbane Roar v Perth Glory
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Sunday, 28 October
Brisbane Roar 1 (Ubogagu 88’)
Perth Glory 1 (Mautz 54’)
Half-time: 0-0
Crowd: 3,796
