Perth Glory’s finals hopes still remain intact after drawing 1-1 with Melbourne Victory at 6PR Stadium in Round 11 of the Westfield W-League.
John Gibson’s (WAIS football coach) Perth needed all three points to secure a maiden finals appearance and were on track to do so after Elisa D’Ovidio scored the opener just before half time.
However, they were unable to hang on for the win after Stephanie Catley scored a goal of her own right after the restart.
Despite numerous chances at goal and being denied a penalty kick, Perth had to settle for the draw and will now take on Canberra United next weekend where a win would seal third place and a semi-final against Brisbane Roar.
If the Glory is unable to claim all three points, then the team will sweat on the other results involving Melbourne and Newcastle Jets.
Perth had several clear-cut chances to take the lead early in the first half, but WAIS-AIS athlete Collette McCallum was unable to find the back of the net after coming close on several occasions.
The best chance came through WAIS-AIS youngster Sam Kerr, who hit the left goal post after her shot was somehow stopped by Melbourne and Westfield Matildas captain Melissa Barbieri as it was trickling towards the goal line.
D’Ovidio then broke the deadlock with a fantastic chip over the country’s best female goalkeeper, to give her side the lead and give Perth an edge heading into the interval.
Kate Gill (WAIS-AIS) then tried her luck from outside the 18-yard box, but her effort was inches wide of the target.
Perth’s lead didn’t last long though with Catley’s left foot shot rocketing past Tine Cederkvist to level the scores in the 47th minute.
The home side bounced back through continued pressure on the opposition and D’Ovidio nearly had a second after her shot was deflected off a Melbourne defender and expertly palmed away by Barbieri.
Westfield Matildas McCallum, Gill and Kerr all had chances to grab the headlines for the Glory, but were unable to finish in the final third.
A late penalty shout was Perth’s best hope of snatching a win, but referee Kirralee Gardener waived away the boisterous protests to leave the match finish 1-1 and now the last two finals positions will be decided next weekend.
– Football West
