An early goal from defender Jaymee Gibbons has proved enough to give the Perth Glory Westfield W-League side a 1-0 victory over Newcastle Jets on Sunday evening at 6PR Stadium.
An early goal from defender Jaymee Gibbons has proved enough to give the Perth Glory Westfield W-League side a 1-0 victory over Newcastle Jets on Sunday evening at 6PR Stadium.
The Glory dominated the encounter in front of a vocal home crowd, producing 11 shots at goal to just three.
But in the end, Gibbons’ fourth-minute effort proved enough to secure all three points for the hosts as they claimed their second win of the season to leapfrog Newcastle into fourth position on the Westfield W-League table.
The hosts enjoyed a fast start to the encounter as Samantha Kerr drilled in a cross from the right. Jets’ stopper Allison Lipsher managed to punch the ball away but the rebound fell perfectly for Gibbons to slam it home from 15 metres.
Newcastle responded through a glancing header by Hayley Crawford in the eighth minute, but this was about the best the visitors could muster in an increasingly scrappy first half where both sides struggled to retain possession.
The best chance fell to Glory striker Katie Gill in the 32nd minute after Lipsher dropped a corner under pressure, but when the Jets’ defence blocked Gill’s attempts, the opportunity went begging.
The game stepped up a gear in the second half as Gill saw a 51st-minute header cleared off the line by Newcastle’s Gema Simon.
Four minutes later, the Jets counter-attacked with intent, finally breaking down the resolute Perth defence, although Melissa Feuerriegel shot wide from five metres out with the goal at her mercy.
Having almost seen their lead evaporate, the Glory were stung into action.
In the 63rd minute national midfielder Collette McCallum swung in a raking cross from the right to her Matildas’ team-mate Gill, who saw her header come off the underside of the bar.
The Jets failed to clear their lines and moments later, Shannon May saw a long-range shot also come off the bar before Elisa D’ovidio took possession of the rebound and saw her shot wonderfully saved by a diving Lipsher.
For all their efforts, the Jets were struggling to break down Perth’s defence, while the Glory’s midfield of D’ovidio and Shannon May were producing quality performances to make up for an uncharacteristically quiet Kerr.
In the 73rd minute, Kerr almost made the most of a rare chance when she was released clear on goal, but the striker was well denied by Lipsher, who dived at her feet.
Newcastle enjoyed a late chance during injury time when Kate Hensman took the ball on the edge of the box only to be denied by Glory stopper Tine Cederkvist, who threw herself bravely over the ball as Perth hung on for a deserved win.
Perth Glory 1 (Gibbons 4)
Newcastle Jets 0
