Central Coast Mariners were edged out 1-0 by Adelaide United FC in the Ninja A-League at Cooper Stadium on Sunday 4 January, with a second half goal separating the sides after an evenly fought contest.
The opening half was well balanced, with both teams creating chances without finding a breakthrough. The Mariners showed early intent, with Isabella Coco Di-Sipio registering the first shot of the match in the 5th minute, her effort taking a deflection before being safely saved by the Adelaide goalkeeper.
Adelaide enjoyed a spell of pressure soon after but were unable to trouble Mariners goalkeeper Annalee Grove. At the other end, Annalise Rasmussen and Izzy Gomez both had chances in quick succession around the 10 minute mark, though neither could capitalise. The visitors went close again in the 26th minute when Annabel Martin delivered a dangerous cross into the box that found Rasmussen, but her header failed to find the target.
Adelaide responded moments later through Erin Healy, who found space in a promising position, but her shot went straight to Grove. The remainder of the half saw momentum swing between both sides, with Peta Trimis forcing a save and Gomez producing a strong run forward, as the teams headed into the break locked at nil all.
The hosts struck early in the second half, opening the scoring just one minute after the restart. Healy fired a powerful long range effort that Grove did well to push away, but Adelaide reacted quickest to the rebound, with Emily Condon finishing from close range to give United a 1-0 lead.
The Mariners pushed to respond, with Coco Di-Sipio attempting an ambitious effort from a wide position that drifted over the bar. Gomez received a yellow card in the 57th minute before Adelaide applied further pressure, forcing Grove into a series of strong saves to keep the deficit at one.
Head coach Kory Babington looked to inject fresh energy in the 59th minute, introducing Blake Hughes in place of Coco Di-Sipio. Adelaide’s Emily Hodgson was shown a yellow card shortly after, with Martin’s resulting free kick creating a close chance for Gomez in the box.
Further changes followed in the 71st minute as Avaani Prakash made way for Tamar Levin. The Mariners came agonisingly close in the 84th minute when Gomez laid the ball off to Martin on the edge of the area, her long range strike well saved by the Adelaide goalkeeper.
In the closing stages, Babington made an attacking switch, replacing defender Baxter Thew with striker Millie Farrow in search of an equaliser. The pressure continued until the final whistle, with Levin narrowly missing the target with a late lob and Greta Kraszula firing through a crowded penalty area.
Deep into stoppage time, Adelaide’s Chelsie Dawber was booked for a late challenge, handing the Mariners one final opportunity from a free kick, but Levin’s effort drifted over the bar.
Post match Avaani Prakash said, ‘We’re disappointed with the result. The team has played a lot of minutes of football in the last eight days, but we’ll take this result and learn from it.’
Despite the loss, the Mariners remain fourth on the Ninja A-League ladder and now turn their attention to another away fixture, travelling to face Newcastle Jets in the F3 Derby on Saturday 10 January, with kick off scheduled for 5pm.
