Manly United overcame a red card and a 2-1 deficit to triumph 3-2 against Newcastle Jets at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
The Jets secured a brilliant late win against Bulls FC Academy last weekend and were looking to create some momentum. On the other hand, Manly came into this contest as one of the league’s undefeated teams.
Manly’s 2024 top scorer, Emily Minett, nearly scored in the opening 15 seconds after a Jets turnover, but her shot didn’t have the required elevation to beat Newcastle shot stopper Ally Boertje. Incredibly, Boertje was called upon again in the first minute to deny Tegan Biasi, with Nicole Stuart’s follow-up effort going wide.
The visitors went close again midway through the first half when McKaela Schmelzer reached a Daisy Arrowsmith corner, forcing another save from Boertje.
Despite all this pressure from the visitors, it was the hosts who drew first blood. Alexis Collins, the Jets hero from last weekend’s win against Bulls, hit the jackpot when her speculative long range effort found the bottom corner in the 34th minute.
Manly didn’t take long to find an equaliser and four minutes after that Jets opener, the Northern Beaches side were level. Anita Zordan created the opportunity with a strong run and a precise pass to Biasi, who snuck a shot past Boertje from a tight angle.
However, things would get more difficult for the visitors with half time approaching as Bonny Adams picked up two yellow cards in quick succession, leaving Tom Hopley’s team shorthanded for the rest of the game.
Manly created the first chance of the second period and once again it was Schmelzer getting on the end of an Arrowsmith corner, with her looping header drawing an acrobatic save from Boertje.
The Jets then went 2-1 up in the 51st minute after clever interplay between Marni Duggan and Chloe Walandouw. Duggan spread the play out wide and then drifted unmarked into the penalty area, slamming the ball into the top corner when Walandouw found her with a neat cutback.
From the resulting kickoff, what followed was a near copy of the opening 15 seconds, with Minett underhitting her attempted lob and Boertje making the save.
Manly stayed in the contest, despite being down to 10 players, and they were rewarded for their persistence in the closing stages. On 84 minutes, Siahn Bozanic made a crucial tackle to stop a Jets attack and started a passing move for the visitors. Her run to join the Manly forwards was untracked, and when Arrowsmith played the perfect through ball, Bozanic slotted the ball into the bottom corner for the equaliser.
The game’s decisive moment came in the third minute of stoppage time. Zordan collected a pass from India Horsley, tricked her way past a defender and sent a scorching long range strike in off the underside of the crossbar. The 3-2 victory maintains Manly’s unbeaten record and keeps them at the top of the NPL Women’s NSW table.
