W-League: Sydney FC 1-2 Newcastle Jets

Last week I posed the question "who is going to be able to beat the juggernaut Sydney FC"? Well apparently it is Newcastle Jets!

This week’s televised fixture turned out to be a great game with a cracker of a finish.

Sydney were undefeated in their last 14 W-League matches and hot favourites against a Newcastle Jets side who were demolished at the hands of Brisbane the week prior. With nothing to lose and to everyone’s delight Newcastle came out to play.

The game was generally controlled by the well drilled Sydney side but their finishing let them down. Sydney were passing the ball around well using the whole field and had numerous chances on goal. But it was Leena Khamis’ individual effort of literally throwing a player off her back and skipping into the penalty box to score near post, past a surprised Newcastle defender and 'keeper. Newcastle still had a few chances of their own to also even up the score but the final shots were poor.

The second half started as intensively as the first; Sydney knew they had a game on their hands. Late in the second half Newcastle played their trump card in the form of U-17 Matilda Tara Andrews coming onto the field. From her very first touch on the ball all could tell she was a player to watch, and she didn’t disappoint.

In the 84th minute after a nice little passage of play Tara found herself in the 18yd box and with a second dig, the ball flew over the 'keepers head hitting the underside of the top crossbar and over the line for the equalizer.

Then, six minutes later on the 90th minute, Sydney’s goalkeeper Dimi Poulos made an unfortunate mistake. Trying to clear the ball whilst out of her 18yd box, the ball fell to Tara Andrews over the half way line. Tara looked up, saw the 'keeper not in position, and calmly blasted a 55 metre strike into the empty goal. 2-1 win to Newcastle.

Best for Newcastle were the Hawaiian Goalkeeper Allison Lipsher and Tara Andrews, while Leena Khamis and Kyah Simon had good touches for Sydney.