Canberra United have ended their season with a thrilling three-all draw with Melbourne City at AAMI Park, showing incredible fight to come from behind twice to level the scores.
It was a cagey start to the high stakes encounter with both sides looking for an early goal. Vesna Milivojevic had the first real shot of the game but was unable to keep her shot down. Nickoletta Flannery also threatened with a great shot on the turn to force a save out of Melissa Barbieri.
City would take the lead in the 12thminute as Hannah Wilkinson got on the end of a well placed cross from Holly McNamara.
That lead would last for all of two minutes as Canberra levelled the scores through Grace Jale. Picking up the ball in the middle of the field, Laura Hughes sent the ball wide to Michelle Heyman, who hit a perfectly weighted ball to Jale, with the speedy attacker slotting the ball home into the bottom corner to level proceedings.
The game opened after that with plenty of chances at either end, but it would be City who take the lead again ten minutes before the break. McNamara was again providers, cutting the ball back for Rhianna Pollicina.
Canberra came out firing in the second half as Heyman threatened early, turning her defender before a quality strike was deflected out for a corner. Sasha Grove got on the end of great through ball from Jale only to be denied by another quality save from Barbieri.
Despite the constant pressure from United in the opening 15 minutes of the second half, City would take a two goal lead, as Holly McNamara got on the scoresheet.
With little over ten minutes left in the game, it was all Canberra as Milivojevic scored twice to pull it back to even standings.
A perfectly placed ball from Jale out wide was met by Milivojevic at the back post, with the midfielder tapping to home to pull one back.
Milivojevic continued her incredible form of late and would find the back of the net four the fourth time in two games, to level the scores headed into injury time. Starting in Canberra’s half, Milivojevic dispossessed the City midfielder before charging upfield and perfectly placing the ball into the back of the net from the edge of the box.
Despite dominating the closing stages of the game, Canberra would not find a fourth goal, ending their incredible season with a thrilling three-all draw and run of eight games unbeaten.
