The Wellington Phoenix have ended their record-breaking regular season in style to all but secure second place on the Ninja A-League ladder.
The Phoenix have beaten finals rivals Adelaide United 2-0 at Coopers Stadium in Adelaide thanks to well-worked first half goals from Marisa van der Meer and Brooke Nunn.
The result lifts the Nix three points clear of third-placed Canberra United, who would need to beat Brisbane Roar by an A-League record 14 goals in their final regular season game on Saturday to steal second place.
Phoenix head coach Bev Priestman was delighted with the response from the team after back-to-back defeats.
“I’m over the moon for the players [and] I’m super proud of the players,” Priestman said.
“It hasn’t been a straightforward season but to end the regular season away to Adelaide at Coopers on a Friday night with a clean sheet and a good performance, I’m really happy.
“It felt like a much more collective effort. We put a lot of attention on people not trying too hard and doing their roles and being collective in doing that.
“I felt we looked a lot more cohesive both with and without the ball.”
The finals start in three weeks’ time, with the A-League pausing for international football over the next fortnight.
It gives the Wellington players a chance to reflect on their regular season.
“Don’t get me wrong we’re not done yet but I do think with the season we’ve had and the adversity, there’s been an outstanding collective effort and we have to be really proud.
“Sometimes in football you don’t stop and you don’t smell the roses sometimes.
“I think it’s really important that the group take the step back that they haven’t been able to in a really tight turnaround to actually be really proud of what they have achieved so far and then use that to fuel us to push on from here.
“I’ll be doing everything I can to make sure we turn up ready, refreshed to make a big push and make history for this club.
“This team can go all the way. As long as we don’t get in our own way, we’ve got the belief and we’ve got a collective effort who work hard.”
Bev Priestman made just one change to the XI which started Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Western Sydney Wanderers with Lucía León returning in place of Mackenzie Anthony, who was named amongst an otherwise unchanged bench.
The Phoenix gifted Adelaide a goalscoring opportunity in the opening minute with Reds forward Lara Gooch pouncing on an under-hit back pass before shooting narrowly wide of the left hand post.
It was to be the hosts’ only real chance of the first half.
The Nix were the more comfortable side in possession and started turning their territorial dominance into opportunities.
Wellington earned their first corner midway through the first half and Nunn almost created something out of nothing. She expertly brought down a near post delivery from Pia Vlok and then looked to pick out the top right hand corner of the Reds’ goal. Her shot came off the back of an Adelaide defender and over the bar for another corner, which the Phoenix were unable to make the most of.
The Nix broke the deadlock from their third corner half an hour into the match. Vlok went short to Nunn, who whipped in an inviting cross to the back post which van der Meer headed back across goal and into the right hand corner, out of reach of the outstretched Adelaide ‘keeper.
Claudia Jenkins made a great save a few minutes later to deny Makala Woods. Woods looked to pick out the bottom left hand corner with a first time shot after Manaia Elliott found her in the penalty area, but Jenkins was able to push her curling effort around her right hand post.
Nunn scored from the resulting corner, heading home a left wing corner from Manaia Elliott after again finding space at the near post.
Jenkins ensured Wellington didn’t extend their lead before halftime. She snuffed out another opportunity for Nunn and saved shots from Elliott and Vlok.
The Phoenix had a couple of opportunities to make it 3-0 early in the second half. León had a shot blocked inside the Adelaide box and Grace Jale rocketed a half volley from outside the penalty area narrowly over the bar.
The hosts’ had their best spell soon after. Emily Hodgson had a shot deflect over the bar in the 52nd minute and Mackenzie Barry produced an acrobatic goal-line clearance to deny the Reds a goal from the resulting corner.
It was to be the last time they really threatened Vic Esson’s goal.
Priestman brought on fresh legs in Daisy Brazendale, Macey Fraser, Anthony and Tiana Jaber to help the Nix close out the match, which they did expertly.
Nunn came closest to finding the back of the net in the second half, striking the right hand post with a left footed effort from the edge of the box.
Woods had the final goalscoring opportunity, blazing over the bar in the third minute of time added on after being slipped into the box by Fraser.
The Wellington Phoenix will now wait await the outcome of the remaining final round matches to see when they will play in the finals.
Wellington Phoenix: 1. Victoria ESSON (gk), 4. Mackenzie BARRY (c), 5. Ellie WALKER, 7. Grace JALE, 11. Manaia ELLIOTT, 14. Lucía LEÓN (30. Mackenzie ANTHONY 59th), 16. Marisa VAN DER MEER (3. Tiana JABER 77th), 23. Brooke NUNN, 24. Pia VLOK (8. Macey FRASER 59th), 31. Makala WOODS, 32. Emma PIJNENBURG (15. Daisy BRAZENDALE 55th).
Unused substitutes: 22. Aimee DANIELI (gk), 27. Zoe BENSON.
Adelaide United: 21. Claudia JENKINS (gk), 2. Emily HODGSON, 3. Matilda MCNAMARA, 6. Melissa TARANTO (14. Maeve NICHOLAS 83rd), 10. Chelsie DAWBER, 11. Isabel HODGSON (c) (19. Katie BOWLER 71st), 13. Ella TONKIN, 15. Adriana TARANTO, 16. Dylan HOLMES (5. Sarah MORGAN 19th), 17. Zoe TOLLAND, 25. Lara GOOCH (8. Emily CONDON 83rd).
Unused substitutes: 18. Amelie MILLAR (gk), 12. Carina ROSSI.
Goals:
16. Marisa VAN DER MEER (Wellington Phoenix) – 30th
23. Brooke NUNN (Wellington Phoenix) – 34th
Cards:
11. Manaia ELLIOTT (Wellington Phoenix) – yellow – 90+1
Main image: Wellington Phoenix players celebrate Brooke Nunn’s goal in the first half of the team’s final round Ninja A-League match against Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium. Photo: Jordan Martin/Jordan M Sport.
