Canberra United have settled for a share of the points with Perth Glory in Round Four of the Ninja A-League Women’s season, after a Mary Stanic-Floody screamer brought the side level in the Unite Round clash at Nestrata Jubilee Stadium.
United made two changes from the team that was beaten by Adelaide as Darcey Malone was recalled in place of Holly Murry and Lilian Skelly was given an opportunity from the start after impressing from the bench in Round 3, Tegan Bertolissio making way with Sofia Christopherson reverting to full-back.
Canberra threatened earliest, Mary Stanic-Floody floated a curling pass over the back of the Glory defence for Michelle Heyman who bundled the ball past the ‘keeper but was unable to win the race to turn it home.
However, Glory settled well and only some last-ditch defending, a trio of blocks following a corner that caused consternation in the box, kept the team from Perth out, and yet clear-cut opportunities at both ends were very much at a premium.
Shortly after the drinks break, Glory almost went in front. Sarah O’Donoghue burst through and struck a shot at goal that took a deflection wrong-footing Sally James, who was forced to readjust her positioning to save with her left leg, turning the ball onto the post.
And it was Glory who went in front four minutes before half-time. A simple turnover of possession inside the area fell to Isobel Dalton whose strike took a deflection, sending the ball past James and into the side-netting of the goal.
The woodwork denied Glory again in first-half stoppage time as O’Donoghue fired an effort at goal that James fingertipped onto the right-hand upright, United left with much to do at the break.
Unafraid to make changes when things are patently not working, Jagarinec sent the returning Aideen Keane into the fray at half-time, for the luckless Skelly, but Glory went closest to doubling their lead when a fine chance was poked wide of goal from close-range with twenty-five minutes to play.
United equalised in stunning style a minute or so later. Heyman won a battle against the Glory defender and laid off a square-ball to Mary Stanic-Floody who unleashed a thunderbolt off a strike that whistled its way past Casy Dumont and crashed into the back of the net.
Not wanting to settle for a share of the points, United threw everything at the Glory with chances aplenty in the closing stages.
An equaliser could not be found, the match ending in a hard fought one-all draw at Nestrata Jubilee Stadium.
