Perth found victory as Newcastle fell in a tight match

CHICAGO – In Round 9 of W-League play, Perth Glory jumped to lead the standings with 16 points after defeating Melbourne City FC, 3-2. Newcastle Jets fell 1-2 in a close battle with Western Sydney Wanderers.

The Jets began the scoring early as Jenna Kingsley found the back of the net in the eighth minute. Minutes later, Wanderers’ Katie Stengel equalized with her first of the game. Before halftime, the Western Sydney upped their score with a brace from Stengel.

Just minutes into the second half, Jen Hoy found herself with the ball inside the 18-yard box, and was taken down by Western Sydney’s goalkeeper, awarding the Jets a penalty kick. Hoy would step up to the mark, but managed to just hit the post where it was immediately cleared by Sydney. Late in the match, Hoy would get another promising chance at goal only to hit the crossbar for the final solid attempt of the game.

With a huge win over Melbourne City, Vanessa DiBernardo, Alyssa Mautz and Perth Glory find themselves at the top of the table. The first half was controlled by Melbourne City, but Perth was able to keep the scoreless even at the half. Just seconds into the second half, Perth got on the board with a Rosie Sutton goal. Melbourne were able to take the lead halfway through the final half with two goals in a matter of 12 minutes. In the 77^th minute, Sam Kerr scored her first goal of the match to equalize against the home side.

With Melbourne falling to 10 players after suffering a red card, the Glory took advantage and regained their lead with another Kerr strike with just six minutes remaining to end the scoreline. DiBernardo nearly found a goal with a couple shots on goal, one coming off a perfect pass from Chicago teammate, Mautz, who helped control play on the left side of the field.

Round 9:
Melbourne Victory (0-4-3) vs. Canberra United (4-1-1)
Newcastle Jets (2-4-1) vs. Adelaide United (0-4-2)

Red Stars Stats:
Arin Gilliland (Newcastle Jets) – Did not play
Jen Hoy (Newcastle Jets) – 90 minutes

Vanessa DiBernardo (Perth Glory) – 70 minutes
Alyssa Mautz (Perth Glory) – 90 minutes