Melbourne Victory came away with a hard-earned draw against an experienced South Melbourne at Lakeside Stadium in Round 17 of NPLW.
Returning to action after a weekend off, the Girls in Blue had a third consecutive tough away match on their hands, with South Melbourne the opponents on Saturday.
In the midst of an impressive four-game winning streak, South Melbourne’s hot form showed itself early, taking the lead just past the half-hour mark thanks to a cross being directed into the back of the net by Meisha Westland.
With a team featuring a variety of names that would be familiar to A-League Women’s fans, overturning South’s lead was going to be a big ask for Victory’s young group, but it was far from impossible.
Doing well to keep within touching distance of their opponents, Victory would be sure to take their chance after earning a free-kick in the 87th minute, with winger Sienna Techera expertly heading home Jade Tam’s whipped delivery to snatch a point against South Melbourne.
Match details are available by clicking here.
Speaking to MelbourneVictory.com.au, interim Head Coach, Harley Hamdani, who will lead the side while Jeff Hopkins is on annual leave, praised the resilience shown by the squad on Saturday.
“It was another excellent game for us to develop and learn against a team that is defensively one of the best in the league, quick in their attacking transitions and pushing at the top end of the table.
“While we had a lot of the ball in the first half, we went into the break frustrated at what felt like a lack of control of the game. The reaction from the group in the second half was exactly what we were looking for. We were brave with the ball, more aggressive and proactive in our defensive pressure and we found solutions to progress through the thirds.
“We have lots to take from this game and improve upon, and equally plenty to be proud of, including the mentality of the group to come from behind and get something from a tough opponent.”
