Adelaide are on a team record three-game unbeaten streak. (Getty Images)
Perth Glory lost its first game of the season in Adelaide on Saturday, as United won 1-0 on a goal from Kristy Moore. Long-time Australian international goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri recorded her first shutout of the season. Adelaide is now tied for sixth with 6 points, and are 6 points out of a playoff spot.
Adelaide then beat Melbourne on a quick turnaround on Wednesday, extending their unbeaten streak and winning streak to a club record three games.
Newcastle Jets defeated Brisbane Roar, 4-1 in another surprising victory Saturday by a perennial W-League struggler against the two-time league champion Roar, who have sunk to the bottom of the standings (4 points) as their most difficult season continues unabated. Emily Van Egmond—who played with Seattle and Chicago in the NWSL during the last two years—scored twice (once from a penalty) while Tori Huster (Washington Spirit) scored once. Angela Salem and Katherine Reynolds, who were recently traded to the Washington Spirit, played 90 minutes for the Jets, while Australian international midfielders Katrina Gorry (FC Kansas City) and Tameka Butt (Boston Breakers WPSL Elite in 2012) played 90 minutes for the Roar, with Butt scoring a late consolation goal in the 90th minute.
For the Roar, Katrina Gorry won the W-League Player of the Week Award for Week 6 and commented to W-League.com about what gaining a point last week against Melbourne meant to the squad: “It was pretty important. We have been struggling to get points, and is what we need to do if we are to be in the top four…. It has definitely been a rocky start. I guess every team comes through rough patches and I guess this is ours. We have been so successful over seven years, so I guess there was always going to be a slip at some point, and we have to just build over the next few games and hopefully things will happen.”
Gorry has found that the W-League competition has improved this year: “The competition is just so even. Every team has picked up some good signings, and every team is performing. So you pretty much just have to take the points when you can.”
On Sunday, the surprising results continued with Western Sydney Wanderers defeating Sydney FC, 2-1 in the Harbor City derby, their first win ever over their city neighbors after five losses in the Wanderers’ three seasons in the league. Keelin Winters (Seattle Reign) scored from the penalty spot while their winning goal was actually an own goal off of Australian international and former Western New York Flash defender Tiegen Allen. Jasmyne Spencer (WNY Flash) scored the only goal for FC Sydney, her sixth of the season. (Spencer scored both goals in Week 3 when Sydney FC defeated the Wanderers, 2-0.) Americans Kendall Johnson (Sky Blue FC and Wanderers) and Samantha Johnson (Chicago and Sydney FC) both played 90 minutes for their sides. The Wanderers are tied for sixth place with Adelaide on six points, while Sydney FC remains in second with 13 points, five points behind Perth.
Canberra defeated Melbourne Victory, 1-0 on Ashleigh Sykes’ goal in the 29th minute before a Westfield W-League record crowd of 14,068 at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium, ahead of the Melbourne A-League derby between the Victory and the Heart in front of 43,729 on Saturday. (Earlier this season, Western Sydney Wanderers drew a league-record crowd of over 3,084 for a stand-alone W-League game in the first Harbor City derby.) With the win, Canberra replaced Melbourne in fourth place (12 points to 11 points) for the final playoff position with five games left. From Canberra, Americans Chantel Jones, Kendall Fletcher, Lori Lindsey and Stephanie Ochs all played 90 minutes, as did Melbourne’s Christine Nairn, Lauren Barnes and Elli Reed. Portland Thorns’ Australian international defender Steph Catley captained Melbourne and long-time Matilda forward Lisa De Vanna (Washington Spirit) came close to scoring before Sykes’ goal, which was her first this season. Sykes, an Australian international, entered the season with 11 W-League goals in 58 appearances.
