Sydney FC 1 (Ayson 38’) def. by Canberra United 2 (Gordon 13’, Stanic-Floody 87’)
Sydney FC have lost 2-1 to Premiership challengers Canberra United, after playing a third of the game with a player less following Kirsty Fenton’s second half send off.
The two opening goals came in the first half with Madison Ayson’s brave header cancelling out Bethany Gordon’s early opener, before former Sky Blue Mary Stanic-Floody struck the late winner from range.
Moments That Mattered:
8’ | HINZ SAVE – Hinz saves full length from Grove’s shot which was going into the corner.
13’ | GORDON GOAL – Grove gets clear on the left wing, her cross isn’t dealt with in the box and falls to Gordon unmarked at the back post to shoot high into the net.
38’ | AYSON GOAL – Tumeth wins a free kick on the right midway in the opposition half. Hawkesby delivers it right footed towards the penalty spot where Ayson bravely gets her head to it before keeper James can come and claim, and it trundles into the empty net.
45’ | HINZ SAVE – A floated cross to the left back position caught Tallon-Henniker unawares allowing Hawkins a free header but Hinz was equal to it in goal.
53’ | ULKEKUL CHANCE – Sydney FC break down the left through Halmarick and Tumeth with the former finding Ulkekul with a pass in front of goal but she pulls her shot wide.
63’ | FENTON SENT OFF – Heyman breaks towards the Sydney FC penalty box and is dragged back by Fenton who is shown the red card even though Tallon-Henniker was looking to cover.
87’ | STANIC-FLOODY GOAL – Heyman lays the ball off to Stanic-Floody who sees her first shot from outside the box blocked, before unleashing a powerful follow up under the hand of Hinz.
90’ | STANIC FLOODY PENALTY – Hinz brings down Dale on the far left edge of the area but Stanic-Floody can only hit the base of the post with her spot kick.
90’+5’ | HALMARICK SHOT TIPPED OVER – Skye hits one on the angle but the keeper tips over to seal Canberra’s win.
Match Report: Sydney FC has lost 2-1 to Canberra United following a late strike by former Sky Blue Mary Stanic-Floody and being a player down for the final third of the match, in the club’s Pride Celebration at Leichhardt Oval.
New Interim Head Coach James Slaveski made five changes to the starting line up from Wednesday’s clash with Brisbane Roar with Sullivan, Corbett, Galic, Ulkekul & Tallon-Henniker coming into the side.
They started a little tentatively and were punished in the 13th minute when they failed to stop a right wing cross coming over and Grove was at the back post unmarked to make it 1-0 to the visitors.
Canberra were reasonably comfortable without creating anything clear-cut and the Sky Blues hit back on 38 minutes after Tumeth had won a contentious free kick in the United half.
It was taken by Hawkesby who played a delicious curling ball towards the penalty spot allowing Ayson to get a head to it, evading the on-coming keeper James, and it rolled into the net.
Hawkins had a chance to restore the lead just before the break with a free header but Hinz saved it and the half ended 1-1.
Sydney FC had the best opportunity of the opening part of the second half when Halmarick found Ulkekul in the box in the 52nd minute, but the American could only screw her shot wide.
The Sky Blues task got harder in the 63rd minute when Fenton was shown a straight red card for denying Heyman a goal scoring opportunity to take Sydney FC down to ten.
Despite the send off, Sydney FC were still in the ascendancy for a lot of the remaining parts of the game and had some half opportunities from corners and a long run and shot from Halmarick.
However they were struck by a killer strike late on when Stanic-Floody struck from range with three minutes remaining, and the former Sydney FC midfielder missed a last minute penalty to put the game beyond doubt.
What They Said: Sydney FC Head Coach James Slaveski: “I think the girls worked hard and I can’t fault them in terms of their effort.
“There were too many times, particularly in the first half, where we just couldn’t get control of the ball, keep it, and do the basics well.
“If we can’t execute the basics when we have possession, it makes it very hard for us to control games.
“We turned the ball over too often throughout the entire match, and defensively, in our duels, I just think we were a little bit off today.
“We struggled to get any kind of dominance in our one-on-one battles. So there’s a bit to do and plenty to work on as we now look ahead to Brisbane.”
Sydney FC | 1. Heather HINZ, 2. Madison AYSON, 4. Tori TUMETH, 5. Kirsty FENTON, 7. Amelia CASSAR (19. Skye HALMARICK 46’), 9. Jodi ULKEKUL (18. Amber LUCHTMEIJER 86’), 17. Claire CORBETT (13. Riley TANNER 59’), 15. Mackenzie HAWKESBY ©, 23. Rubi SULLIVAN (16. Willa PEARSON 46’), 24. Caley TALLON-HENNIKER (14. Abbey LEMON 68’), 32. Bianca GALIC.
Unused Subs | 30. Tiahna ROBERTSON.
Head Coach | James SLAVESKI
Yellow Cards | Hawkesby 82, Hinz 90’.
Red Cards | None
Canberra United FC | 1. Sally JAMES, 2. Elizabeth ANTON, 6. Josie AULICINO, 7. Emma HAWKINS (19. Sienna DALE 82’), 8. Sasha GROVE (13. Sofia CHRISTOPHERSON 75’), 3. Elizabeth ANTON, 11. Emma ROBERS (5. Jazmin WARDLOW 68’), 12. Hayley TAYLOR-YOUNG 23. Michelle HEYMAN ©, 32. Bethany GORDON, 33. Nanako SASAKI (10. Mary STANIC-FLOODY 68’).
Unused Subs | 18. Coco MAJSTOROVIC (GK), 25. Darcey MALONE.
Head Coach | Antoni JAGARINEC
Yellow Cards | None
Red Cards | None
Venue | Leichhardt Oval
Referee | Mikayla RYAN
Attendance | 1,347
