Melbourne Victory were defeated by a Box Hill United outfit featuring some familiar faces in Round 19 of the 2026 NPLW season.
Despite the game ending 1-5 in favour of the visitors at the Home of The Matildas on Saturday afternoon, the Girls in Blue showed periods of promise against the defending champions.
Notably, this included Victory taking an early lead, with Leyla Hussein scoring an Olimpico after 12 minutes of play in Bundoora.
The advantage was cancelled out around the half-hour mark when Laura Pickett equalised from an inswinging cross before close-range finishes from Kiara Bercelli and Rhianna Pollicina altered the scoreline’s complexion entirely.
Erin Keyt added a fourth early in the second half when rounding the goalkeeper, and Pickett struck her second of the contest to round off the scoring late on.
Match details are available by clicking here.
Speaking to MelbourneVictory.com.au, interim Head Coach, Harley Hamdani, reflected on the experience Victory’s players can gain from such a contest.
“It was a tough game for us, but once again it provided excellent football experiences for this young group of players against established NPLW opponents, and some very familiar faces at A-League level. The second round of fixtures in this league were always going to be challenging, and we have to embrace that.
“Unfortunately, defensively we weren’t good enough and conceded some sloppy goals. We lacked pressure high enough up the field, particularly in the first half, perhaps showing too much respect to what are quality players on the ball. It’s something we changed in the second half, and the players who came off the bench helped us control more moments, making a positive contribution to the game and our performance.
“As we always do, we’ll come together, review our performance and work hard on the pitch to find greater consistency in our positive actions.”
