Sydney FC have been defeated 2-1 in a Grand Final they dominated but were denied by the post and numerous great saves from Melbourne goalkeeper Casey Dumont.
Sydney FC 1 (Vine 65’) def. by Melbourne Victory 2 (Jackson 49’, Zimmerman 64’)
Moments That Mattered:
OFF THE LINE – 2’ – Hawkesby’s corner is floated over and Vine flicks it on but Zimmerman clears off the line.
OFF THE LINE – 11’ – Green clears off the line from Cooney-Cross’ corner.
SIEMSEN SHOT SAVED – 13’ – Ibini feeds Siemsen on the left and Remy drives into the box, cuts inside and shoots but Dumont tips it around the corner.
DUMONT SAVES FROM IBINI – 32’ – Siemsen and Ibini combine to put the latter free on goal in the penalty area but Dumont is out quickly to make a save.
SIEMSEN GOAL DISALLOWED – 38’ – Victory play themselves into trouble at the back and Ibini finds Siemsen who is just offside as she finds the net.
HAWKESBY HEADER SAVED – 45’ – Green floats over a great cross and Hawkesby’s looping header is just tipped over by Dumont.
HAWKESBY CORNER HITS THE POST – 45’ – Hawkesby’s corner hits the base of the far post and is cleared.
JACKSON GOAL – 49’ – A speculative Cooney-Cross’ ball to the back post is headed home by Jackson.
HAWKESBY SHOT SAVED – 59 ‘ – Hawkesby turns and shoots but Dumont saves low down.
ZIMMERMAN GOAL – 64’ – A Zimmerman shot is drilled homefrom close range.
VINE GOAL – 65’ – A corner from the right is headed goalwards by Rule which Dumont parries and Vine slots it home.
WHYMAN PUNCHES OFF THE LINE – 70’ – A looping ball almost catches Whyman off guard but she punches off her line and the corner then hits the bar and goes clear.
VINE SHOT JUST WIDE – 74’ – Ray floats a ball over the back line to Vine who controls and races in on goal but puts her shot agonisingly wide.
LOWE SHOOTS JUST WIDE – 87’ – Hawkesby finds Lowe out wide who shoots just wide.
Match Report
Sydney FC have been defeated in a heartbreaking Grand Final which they dominated with 20 shots to seven but just couldn’t find the finish.
The Sky Blues ran rampant and had balls cleared off the line, hit the post, a goal disallowed plus numerous chances saved by Dumont in the Melbourne goal.
It proved costly early in the second half when a speculative cross from Cooney-Cross found the head of Jackson.
Melbourne went further ahead just after the hour when a ricochet fell to Zimmerman who smashed the ball home.
A fiery encounter continued when Vine equalised two minutes later from Rule’s downward header.
Vine and Lowe had chances to pull the Sky Blues level late on but it wasn’t to be and Sydney FC fall at the final hurdle.
What They Said: Ante Juric: “It’s heart-breaking, the girls are devastated.
“They always pick themselves up.
“If you put everything into something and you lose, that’s still winning, and I truly believe that because sometimes the score-line doesn’t reflect what actually happened.
“But that’s just life. They know they put everything into it and deserved to win but we didn’t.”
Sydney FC: 1. Jada WHYMAN, 3. Charlotte MCLEAN, 5. Ally GREEN (14. Paige SATCHELL 86’), 6. Sarah HUNTER (8. Rachel LOWE 63’), 10 Remy SIEMSEN (9. Maria COTE ROJAS 72’) , 11. Cortnee VINE, 12. Natalie TOBIN, 15. Mackenzie HAWKESBY, 18. Taylor RAY, 19. Charlie RULE, 20. Princess IBINI.
Unused Subs: 30. Katie OFFER (GK), 4. Jessika NASH.
Yellow Cards: Rule 77’.
Red Cards: None.
Melbourne Victory FC: 1. Casey DUMONT (GK), 3. Claudia BUNGE, 5. Courtney NEVIN, 7. Kyra COONEY-CROSS, 9. Catherine ZIMMERMAN, 10. Alex CHIDIAC (2. Tiffany ELIADIS 88’), 13. Poly DORAN, 14. Melinda AYRES, 15. Amy JACKSON, 19. Lia PRIVITELLI (11. Harriet WITHERS 91’), 25. Brooke HENDRIX.
Unused Subs: 20. Melissa MAIZELS (GK), 8. Alana MURPHY, 17. Maja MARKOVSKI.
Yellow Cards: Nevin 8’, Doran 82’
Red Cards: None.
Venue: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
Referee: Lara Lee.
