The Central Coast Mariners secured a hard fought 2-1 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers in the Ninja A-League Women’s on a hot Sunday evening, 14 December.
The contest began in physical and even fashion, with both sides testing each other early in challenging conditions. It was the Mariners who struck first, opening the scoring through Coco Di-Sipio, who showed great composure to lob the ball over the advancing Wanderers goalkeeper to claim her first goal for the club.
The Mariners doubled their advantage soon after, with Izzy Gomez producing a stunning volley to give the Mariners a 2-0 lead heading into the halftime break.
Both teams emerged strongly in the second half, continuing the physical nature of the contest. Yellow cards were traded as the intensity lifted, while Mariners midfielder Anabel Martin went close from a free kick just outside the penalty area, sending her effort over the crossbar.
As the temperature took its toll, the Mariners began to tire and were forced to call on reinforcements from the bench. Western Sydney pushed forward in search of a way back into the match, but the Mariners’ defence stood tall. A standout moment came when Taren King produced a sensational goal line clearance to deny the Wanderers a certain goal.
Western Sydney eventually found the net with a 90th minute strike to set up a tense finish, but the Mariners showed grit and composure to see out the match and claim all three points.
The result sees the Central Coast Mariners move into fourth place on the Ninja A-League ladder. They will now turn their attention to a blockbuster clash against league leaders Canberra United FC this Saturday, 20 December.