Western United scored a big win in the Ninja A-League Women on Friday night, defeating Newcastle Jets 2-0 at Ironbark Fields thanks to a Kahli Johnson brace.
Both goals came after half-time and both with the No.10’s head as the hosts overran their opponents following the break.
One of the stories of the night was Adriana Taranto’s return from injury while Newcastle were reduced to 10 players late on when Natasha Prior received a red card.
The win moves the Green and Black up to fourth on the table while Johnson increases her tally to six goals on the season, joint for the most in the competition.
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Kat Smith made three changes to her starting XI with Alyssa Dall’Oste returning in goal and Claudia Mihocic earning her first Western United start following her Club debut last week.
Catherine Zimmerman started for the first time since November in her 50th Ninja A-League appearance, but Alana Cerne missed out with an ankle injury.
Taranto made her comeback from ACL surgery while sister Melissa started in midfield, becoming the second player to reach 50 Ninja A-League appearances for Western United. Sandra Ibarguen also returned to the bench following injury.
First Half
The game kicked off at a frenetic pace as both sides traded counter attacks and looked to exploit spaces in the oppositions’ defences.
Sasha Grove was on hand to intervene before Lauren Allen could strike from a Sheridan Gallagher cutback before Johnson had her first sighter, rounding the goalkeeper but striking the side netting from a tight angle under pressure.
Mihocic made an excellent start to her full Western United debut as Smith’s side soaked up periods of pressure before creating two big chances before the break.
The first came as the milestone players linked up with Zimmerman picking out Melissa Taranto with a cross, but the midfielder was unable to connect properly with the header and sent the ball bouncing wide of the post.
Johnson then came even closer just before the break, lifting the ball over the goalkeeper and onto the crossbar after Chloe Logarzo had affected an errant clearance.
Second Half
A positive first half left plenty of motivation for the second period and United meant business, stepping on the accelerator in search of the opening goal.
Leveraging a period of dominance down the right-hand side, the lead eventually came via a Julia Sardo cross that fell almost right on the goal line, inviting Johnson to outjump Tiahna Robinson and nod into the net.
That gave the Green and Black a platform from which to control the game before seeking to kill it off in the final quarter of an hour.
Kiara De Domizio came off the bench and was at her electric best once again, running at the Newcastle defence before providing a stunning assist for the sealer.
Linking up with Johnson just as she did against Central Coast Mariners two weeks ago, De Domizio lofted a perfect ball to the back post and Johnson arrived with aplomb to thump in the header and wheel away in celebration.
That goal was the starter in a dramatic final 10-plus minutes, with Adriana Taranto’s introduction coming immediately afterwards to a standing ovation.
Newcastle’s Prior was sent off just as four minutes of stoppage time were confirmed and once play resumed, United was able to hold onto the clean sheet and an important three points.
