Central Coast Mariners and Perth Glory played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at polytec Stadium in the Ninja A-League on Sunday evening, with a moment of brilliance from Peta Trimis cancelling out Susan Phonsongkham’s first half opener.
In damp conditions in Gosford, the Mariners began on the front foot with Golden Boot leader Annalise Rasmussen going close in the eighth minute, only to be denied by Glory goalkeeper Teresa Morrissey
Rasmussen continued to trouble the visitors and later turned Lorena Baumann’s dangerous low cross over the bar, while Trimis fired narrowly wide as the Mariners controlled much of the opening half hour.
But it was Glory who struck first in the 33rd minute, with Susan Phonsongkham finding the net with a volley from inside the box.
The Mariners found a route back into the contest just after the hour mark through Peta Trimis whose corner was helped into the back of the net after clipping the crossbar.
The equaliser set up a frantic finale as both sides chased a winner. Rasmussen saw a close range finish ruled out for offside before later lifting another clear chance over the bar, while at the other end, Sarah O’Donoghue fired narrowly wide, and substitute Rola Badawiya also had a chance to add her name to the scoresheet.
The result keeps the Mariners third on the ladder and further clear of Melbourne Victory, while Glory move back into the top six as their winning run comes to an end.
Central Coast Mariners’ next Ninja A-League fixture is against Western Sydney Wanderers at polytec Stadium on Saturday 24 January, with tickets available here.
