The Wellington Phoenix remain unbeaten three rounds into the Ninja A-League despite a mounting injury toll.
The Phoenix have drawn 1-1 with Newcastle Jets at Porirua Park with the Jets drawing level from the penalty spot midway through the first half after Brooke Nunn had given Wellington an early lead.
The Nix were without three of their five visa players with Sabitra Bhandari and Tessel Middag joining Lucía León, Tiana Jaber and Macey Fraser on the sidelines, while Alyssa Whinham suffered an serious-looking injury during the match.
Teenager Pia Vlok made her first A-League start in Bhandari’s absence, while academy player Lily Brazendale was handed her professional debut off the bench.
Phoenix head coach Bev Priestman was relatively content with the point considering the circumstances.
“Do I think we should have won the game? Absolutely,” Priestman told media post-match. “We had some chances that we should have put away.
“But we’ve been struck by a little bit of an injury crisis and to be fair to the young kids who came in, Pia Vlok was outstanding…and then you go and give young Lily Brazendale her first pro experience so by the end we just had to grind it out.
“Watching the first half that is the team I know. I thought we were very good in the first half and brought a bit more of our identity.”
She is also happy the team is still unbeaten.
“I said to the team at the beginning of the season we have to be a hard team to beat and any team has to have a really good game to beat us this season.
“That’s the mentality that I’ve seen in the last two games. We could have caved for sure.
“They’re a resilient group that knew how to grind out a result especially when you’re so light on the bench. I’m really proud of the effort of the group.”
Bev Priestman made two enforced changes to the starting XI, with Middag and Bhandari ruled out with injuries and replaced by forwards Emma Main and 17-year-old Vlok.
Vlok was at the heart of a bright start for the Phoenix. She had a shot sail over the bar from distance in the third minute and moments later provided the assist for the opening goal.
She slipped Brooke Nunn in behind the Jet’s defence and Nunn then squeezed a shot past Newcastle ‘keeper Anna Leat. The Jets thought they had cleared the shot off the line but the assistant referee flagged to confirm the goal.
Nunn was busy down Wellington’s right flank and put in a threatening cross in the 16th minute that Main was able to get a head to, but the ball looped into Leat’s arms.
Newcastle drew level against the run of play midway through the first half. Mackenzie Barry was deemed to have fouled Lauren Allan in the Phoenix box and Melina Ayres converted from the penalty spot.
Grace Jale had a chance to restore the Nix’s lead three minutes later. Her sweetly hit half-volley was blocked by the Jets’ defence but the ball fell back to Jale’s feet and she sliced her left-footed shot wide.
Whinham created something out of nothing shortly after the half hour mark. She won the ball in the Newcastle penalty area as they tried to play out from the back and rounded Leat but wasn’t able to pick out a teammate, and the Jets scrambled clear.
The Jets finished the half the stronger of the two sides but Ellie Walker snuffed out their best chance with some great last ditch defending to ensure it remained level at the break.
It took less to 60 seconds for Vlok to register the first shot of the second half but it was comfortably saved by Anna Leat.
The teenager looked to combine again with Nunn in the 50th minute. Vlok broke forward from halfway and slipped Nunn through on goal. The English forward left Leat flailing on the ground but her shot was off target.
Leat made an acrobatic save five minutes later to keep out a curling left-footed effort from Whinham.
She had to be replaced midway through the second half after suffering a serious-looking injury, with Liv Ingham coming on in Whinham’s place. CJ Bott also made way for Daisy Brazendale.
Manaia Elliott, who herself was on as a substitute in place of Vlok on the hour mark, had the next shot in the 68th minute but her effort sailed wide.
Main had a couple of half chances soon after. She shot straight at Leat after the Phoenix created an opening in the Newcastle penalty area before dragging another effort wide.
Priestman made her final substitution in the 82nd minute, bringing on young forward Lily Brazendale for her professional debut in place of Main.
The Phoenix’s best chances to snatch all three points came in the final minute of the 90 and at the start of stoppage time.
Elliott saw her shot deflect narrowly wide after a promising break before slicing a shot off target from the resulting corner.
Former Nix forward Kelli Brown had a late opportunity to win it for the Jets when she got in behind the Wellington defence, but she shot over the bar.
The Wellington Phoenix will return to their Porirua Park fortress next Sunday to host Melbourne Victory.
Wellington Phoenix: 1. Vic ESSON (gk), 2. CJ BOTT (c) (15. Daisy BRAZENDALE 70th), 4. Mackenzie BARRY, 5. Ellie WALKER, 7. Grace JALE, 10. Alyssa WHINHAM (19. Liv INGHAM 70th), 16. Marisa VAN DER MEER, 20. Emma MAIN (26. Lily BRAZENDALE 82nd), 21. Lara WALL, 23. Brooke NUNN, 24. Pia VLOK (11. Manaia ELLIOTT 61st).
Unused substitutes: 22. Aimee DANIELI (gk), 12. Ella MCMILLAN.
Newcastle Jets: 24. Anna LEAT (gk), 2. Josie WILSON, 3. Claudia CICCO, 4. Natasha PRIOR, 6. Cassidy DAVID (c), 8. Emma DUNDAS (44. Kelli BROWN 68th), 10. Elizabeth COPUS-BROWN, 11. Charlotte LANCASTER (7. India BREIER 57th), 13. Lauren ALLAN (5. Olivia PAGE 80th), 14. Melina AYRES (32. Claire ADAMS 80th), 26. Josie ALLAN.
Unused substitutes: 12. Georgia RITCHIE (gk), 23. Zoe KARIPIDIS.
Goals:
23. Brooke NUNN (Wellington Phoenix) – 4th
14. Melina AYRES (Newcastle Jets) – 23rd pen
Cards:
4. Mackenzie BARRY (Wellington Phoenix) – yellow – 86th
