Canberra United have managed to rescue a point against defending champions Central Coast Mariners in lightning affected conditions, with Sasha Grove scoring a 90th minute equaliser.
The match was played over four hours after two separate lighting delays forced both teams of the field for over two hours between the two stoppages. The stoppages prevented United from keeping a stranglehold on the game after dominating for large portions of the match.
The Mariners were able to hold off United’s attack long enough for Annalise Rasmussen to break the deadlock with a little over 20 minutes remaining before a final lighting strike seemed to end United’s hopes of rescuing a draw before Sasha Grove salvaged a point for the home side.
United pressed relentlessly to begin the match, forcing several mistakes from the Mariners defence while also creating chances through some quicker connecting passes. Josie Aulicino continued her stellar run of form and found Emma Hawkins between defenders to record the game’s first shot in the fifth minute.
Minutes later United almost got on the scoresheet twice in quick succession – the first off, a dangerous run down the right wing by Grove which forced a low save from Mariner’s keeper Annalee Grove to prevent United latching onto the cross. The second was again through Hawkins who did well to connect with a cross that was played slightly behind her but could only force a routine save from Grove.
The game continued to be played in Mariner’s territory with United unlucky not to find the back of the net, before play was halted for an hour due to lightning strikes in the area.
United returned from the unscheduled break with the same intensity they had in the games first 20 minutes and continued to knock on the Mariners door – almost pouncing on a sleeping Mariners defence in the final seconds of the first half. Bethany Gordon played a free kick early to find Aulicino in space before the quick recovery of Lorena Bauman snuffed out the attack.
The Mariners were able to rally some more bodies behind the ball in the second half and prevented United from creating any meaningful chances in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
The Mariners then came alive in attack, sustaining some pressure in United’s final third before finding the game’s opening goal in the 67th minute. Isabel Gomez found herself with the ball on halfway and played a line splitting pass into the path of Rasmussen who shot early to the near post past the outstretched dive of James.
United pushed for an equaliser through an injection of attacking power in Sienna Dale, Sofia Christopherson, and Mary Stanic-Floody, the former going close from 20 yards out with a shot that just failed to dip enough in time.
As United continued to push for an equaliser the game was once again stopped for lightning strikes in the area with seven minutes to play.
Both teams emerged again after another hour long stoppage to complete the final minutes of the match with little time left for United to get back into the game.
But on the stroke of 90 minutes Grove fired United back into the game finishing off a stunning United attack. Christopherson powered down the right wing and played a low cross into the path of Grove who placed her shot first time into the bottom right corner.
United pushed hard for a winner but had to settle for a draw over four hours after kick off.
Words: James Whybrow
