W-League: Tight thriller between Jets, Canberra sets finals run

Newcastle Jets left Jack McLaughlan Oval with triumph grins on their faces, even after a 3-3 draw against second-placed Canberra Unite, as the girls in red and blue fought back against not one, but two one-goal leads from the away side.

A final-minute goal headed in by Tara Andrews claimed the point for the Jets and set them in good stead for the lead up to the finals.

It looked like nothing was going to stop the Jets at home, as Angela Salem slammed a screamer into the back of the net in the seventh minute off the back of a stunning build-up play from Emily van Egmond, Victoria Huster and Amber Neilson, but tragedy struck moments later as Katherine Reynolds deflected a ball into their own net, levelling the scores.

A sitter that Rhali Dobson failed to sink haunted the Newcastle side for the rest of the half, with Michelle Heyman slotting the ball past Hannah Southwell to give the girls in green a lead at half time.

Van Egmond found Dobson unmarked in the box 68 minutes into the competition and the right-winger made up for her earlier mistake, gracefully smashing a volley into the right hand corner of Canberra’s goal.

Refusing to back down against the home side, Sykes put Canberra ahead once again in the 87th minute and looked to have sealed Newcastle’s fate in the game, but a tense few minutes saw the Jets push back.

Andrews slammed the ball into the back of the net off a well-placed header, levelling the scores and both teams saw the game out 3-3, both earning a well deserved three points for their efforts.

Both sides now fix their gaze firmly on finals, with only a handful of games to go they will both be looking to collect as many points as they can and be the first teams to secure a place in the knockout rounds of the competition.



Newcastle Jets squad: 1. Hannah SOUTHWELL (GK), 2. Georgia YEOMAN-DALE (Grace MACINTYRE 72’), 3. Hayley CRAWFORD, 5. Katherine REYNOLDS, 6. Angela SALEM, 7. Victoria HUSTER, 8. Amber NEILSON 9. Tara ANDREWS, 10. Emily VAN EGMOND (c), 11. Rhali DOBSON, 16. Cassidy DAVIS.


Canberra United squad: 1. Chantel JONES (GK), 4. Kendall FLETCHER, 5. Grace FIELD, 6. Caitlin MUNOZ, 7. Ellie BRUSH, 11. Michelle HEYMAN, 12. Sally ROJAHN, 13. Nicole BEGG (c), 14. Ashleigh SYKES, 16. Lori LINDSEY, 22. Stephanie OCHS