Canberra United celebrated their Heritage Round match with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against the Central Coast Mariners to take their unbeaten run in the Ninja A-League to four matches.
United Head Coach reintroduced Michelle Heyman into the staring eleven, Alex McKenzie shifting to the bench, precipitating a rejig in the formation, Emma Robers dropping to centre-back. There was also the welcome return of Madison Ayson, named amongst the substitutes for the first time in five matches.
As the league table indicated, two points and two places separating the visitors from the home team, there wasn’t much between the outfits in the opening quarter, neither goalkeeper troubled at all in the first twenty minutes. Hayley Taylor-Young flashed a shot wide from the angle in Canberra’s best attack.
United went closer again ten minutes before the interval as Heyman spun her marker, sending over a low cross that deflected off a Mariners defender and rolled agonisingly wide of the far post.
It was somewhat against the run of play therefore when the Central Coast took the lead in the fortieth minute. Jade Pennock controlled a Crossfield ball and cut inside her marker to send a shot across Sally James that nestled into the back of the net via the base of the goalkeeper’s right-hand post.
It didn’t take Canberra long to respond at the start of the second-half. Twenty-eight seconds to be precise as Maja Markovski found Heyman inside the area, and the former Mariner striker side-footed home the equaliser into the same corner that Pennock had scored just before the interval.
The Mariners made a brace of substitutions on the hour, sending on Annalise Rasmussen and Greta Kraszula, Canberra responding with Aideen Keane inserted into the action for Mary Stanic-Floody, Alex McKenzie following shortly afterwards for Bethany Gordon.
Heyman, who had been working hard after coming back from illness, was taken off with thirteen minutes to play, Jynaya Dos Santos adding extra pace to the attack as Canberra went in search of a winner. Earlier, Darcy Malone had side-footed just wide when well placed inside the Mariners penalty area.
Both teams battled hard for the breakthrough which would potentially have won the contest, Taylor Ray cracking a sublime free-kick from distance against the post, Taylor-Young doing likewise at the opposite end and Dos Santos hitting the bar, but come the full-time whistle had to settle for a point apiece.
ROUND 15
Saturday 8 February 2025
Canberra United 1 (Heyman 46’) Central Coast Mariners 1 (Pennock 40’)
(McKellar Park, Canberra, 17:00)
Canberra United: 1. Sally JAMES, 3. Elizabeth ANTON, 5. Madison AYSON, 10. Mary STANIC-FLOODY (21. Aideen KEANE 60’), 11. Emma ROBERS, 12. Hayley TAYLOR-YOUNG, 13. Sofia CHRISTOPHERSON, 17. Maja MARKOVSKI, 23. Michelle HEYMAN (7. Jynaya DOS SANTOS 77’), 25. Darcey MALONE, 28. Tegan BERTOLISSIO, 32. Bethany GORDON (2. Alex MCKENZIE 70’)
Substitutes not used: 5. Madison AYSON, 18. Coco MAJSTOROVIC
DISICPLINE: Yellow Card: 28. Tegan BERTOLISSIO (Canberra United), HC: Antoni JAGARINEC (Canberra United), GKC: Tim DAVIES (Canberra United)
