Two first-time A-League Women’s goalscorers have helped Sydney FC beat Newcastle 2-1 with the final kick of a hard-fought encounter.
After 16-year-old Maddie Caspers got off the mark for the Sky Blues to put her side level at 1-1 with the Jets, 17-year-old Zara Kruger found her first goal in the 96th minute to pinch all three points at Leichhardt Oval.
Also on Sunday, Western United scraped a 1-0 win against Adelaide while Western Sydney made it four straight wins with a 2-1 triumph against Central Coast.
In Sydney, Kruger couldn’t have been cooler in sealing the result, getting on the end of a lofted through-ball and hooking it past Newcastle keeper Izzy Nino.
Caspers was also in the right place at the right time, drifting in at the back post on 53 minutes to head home a Cortnee Vine cross.
The goal overhauled an early effort from in-form Newcastle striker Sarina Bolden, who rose high to head home on 16 minutes.
Sydney looked destined to be held to a poor result despite dominating proceedings, with Matildas star Vine taking eight shots at goal and somehow hitting the post three times as one of their most wasteful attackers.
Earlier, Western United ground out a much-needed win against Adelaide, with Japanese forward Keiwa Hieda scoring the game’s only goal with a 52nd-minute strike. Both sides missed key chances to add to the scoreline.
The Victorian side responded perfectly to recent setbacks including a 1-1 draw with Canberra and a 1-0 loss to Sydney.
Hieda looked composed when her moment came, calmly pulling her shot across Adelaide keeper Annalee Grove for her third goal of the season.
Adelaide will be wondering how they didn’t score, let alone take a point from their trip to Melbourne.
The Reds looked to have taken the lead on 28 minutes direct from a Dylan Holmes corner, but the goal was chalked off for a hold on Western keeper Hillary Beall.
Winger Isabel Hodgson then found the first half’s best chance, getting one-on-one with Beall and forcing a diving stop as she tried to pick out the top corner.
And while chasing an equaliser in the game’s dying minutes, Reds striker Chelsie Dawber got through on goal but got her feet tangled and sprayed her shot wide.
And the Wanderers kept up their winning ways by beating the Mariners.
Forward Holly Caspers made it two goals in as many weeks to open the scoring late in the first half, although Central Coast players were furious it was allowed to stand after a dubious onside call.
Mariner Isabel Gomez equalised on 48 minutes with a clever volley off a corner clearance, only for a Maliah Morris cross at the other end to be deflected in off Jazmin Wardlow for an own goal.
The win carried the Wanderers up to fourth on the table.
