Emily Minett’s second half double took Manly United to a 2-1 victory over Sydney University at Cromer Park on Sunday evening.
It was Minett who had the game’s first clear cut chance in the 14th minute, racing through on goal after Lucy Richards played the ball behind the defence, only for the number nine to smack a shot off the base of the post.
Sydney University rebounded from that close call at their end and took the lead on 20 minutes. After Uni won the ball in a promising position, Talia Kapetanellis found Alice Thompson, who tricked her way past a defender and slotted the ball into the bottom corner.
The hosts responded and it was the Richards – Minett combination which led to another chance in the 29th minute, with Minett firing the ball over the crossbar from outside the area.
Manly would have to wait until the 58th minute for an equaliser. Predictably, it was Minett who found the leveller, reaching a through ball from Richards and forcing the ball over the line, via Sofia Fante’s outstretched boot.
Two minutes after drawing level, Manly could have taken the lead when Chloe O’Brien and Anita Zordan combined to send Nicole Stuart flying down the right flank. Her cross to the far post evaded Minett by a matter of inches.
With 15 minutes remaining, a Sydney Uni set piece found Tahliya Sambrook and her header brought the best out of Manly shot stopper Jodie Drever, who acrobatically tipped the ball over the crossbar.
Drever was also involved in the game’s decisive moment. When the Manly custodian sent a booming kick over the top of the Uni backline, Minett’s persistence led to her taking the ball from the defence and planting a shot out of Fante’s reach, giving Manly a 2-1 lead in the 79th minute.
However, the hosts needed more Drever heroics to secure victory. On 87 minutes, Kapetanellis charged down the left wing and played a pinpoint cross to Ellen Hughes, who was somehow denied from point blank range by Drever. Then in the 93rd minute, Drever was at full stretch to keep a shot from former Manly player Jenny Hill out of the net. Fittingly, the game ended with Drever catching a Kapetanellis header.
The result ends Manly’s losing streak and moves the Northern Beaches side up into 3rd place.
