After a victory in challenging weather conditions in the reverse fixture, the Mariners hosted Wellington at polytec Stadium, hoping to spoil the visitors’ chances at a maiden Premiership.
The evening sun shone down on what was a cagey first half, with both sides battling intensely as they pushed to create a clear-cut opportunity.
The Mariners found success attacking the wide areas, but were unable to find their target with the final cross.
Peta Trimis had the best chance of the first half for the Mariners as she drove into the box and struck a well-hit shot from a tight angle in the 37th minute. Wellington goalkeeper Victoria Esson had her angles covered, however, and made a comfortable save.
The home side came out of the sheds with purpose, creating a dangerous one-on-one chance just two minutes into the second half.
An incisive outside-of-the-foot pass from Avaani Prakash split Wellington’s back-line and saw Izzy Gomez with just the goalkeeper to beat. Despite a powerful strike, Esson was able to stretch to her left and deny Gomez from close range.
Wellington’s Brooke Nunn struck the crossbar from well outside the 18-yard box in the 55th minute, but it was the Mariners who would break the deadlock just a few minutes later through teenage striker, Eliza Familton.
Peta Trimis found herself in space on the left wing and was able to pick out a well-measured cross to the 18-year-old, who headed the ball into the far right corner to put the home side 1-0 up.
Spurred on by the game’s opening goal, the Mariners pushed for a second, and it looked like they might have got it when Izzy Gomez struck a hard, low shot from the left edge of the six-yard box. Unfortunately for the home side, Wellington goalkeeper Victoria Esson was able to stretch out her left foot to keep it a one-goal game.
Izzy Gomez would not be denied, however, in the 83rd minute, when Tamar Levin broke down the left and found Gomez on the edge of the D. The midfield maestro powered home the Mariners second of the game with a wonderstrike that grazed the underside of the crossbar, well out of the goalkeeper’s reach.
A Macey Fraser direct free-kick in the third minute of stoppage time denied Annalee Grove a clean sheet, but the home side held on to beat the Phoenix 2-1 for the second time this season.
The victory sees the Mariners leap into 5th place as they look ahead to Sunday, when they will take on third-placed Canberra United in their penultimate regular-season game.
