Melbourne Victory Women produced a Christmas miracle to draw their Ninja A-League Round 9 clash away to Central Coast Mariners 3-3.
Jeff Hopkins’ side were staring back-to-back defeats in the face until they scored three times across just four minutes of second-half injury-time to stun the hosts, who had looked certain to extend their 100% home record at polytec Stadium.
Rhianna Pollicina’s well-taken sixth of the season appeared only a consolation until Sofia Sakalis expertly volleyed in to give the Girls in Blue genuine hope of completing a comeback.
And this was remarkably completed as substitute Ella O’Grady zoomed in behind to unleash an equaliser that sparked wild Victory celebrations in their final outing of 2025.
Earlier in the piece, they had fallen behind during the first half when Peta Trimis broke the deadlock courtesy of an unstoppable long-range strike.
Central Coast went further clear after the break, with Annalise Rasmussen scoring a brace. The forward accurately found the far corner six minutes into the second period before seemingly putting the game to bed by converting Annabel Martin’s pick out as the clock passed an hour played.
Team News
Grace Maher was reintroduced into the squad and came straight back into the starting XI at the expense of Taylor Ray. She started on the bench against her former club, and was joined among the substitutes by Chelsea Blissett for the first time since joining in the off-season after recovering from injury.
Match Action
It was the visitors, through Pollicina, who crafted the contest’s first attacking opportunity. The midfielder navigated her way into the penalty area from a wide position and turned the ball square, but there was no teammate in the right position to finish it off six minutes in.
The sun-drenched action continued unaccompanied by a major incident until, out of the blue, Trimis opened the scoring with the game’s first attempt on target. Without notice, the 19-year-old rocketed a humdinger from 36 yards, with the ball singing into the top corner.
Five minutes from the break, Victory went desperately close to levelling matters. Pollicina threaded the ball between opposition defenders to find the willing run of Holly Furphy, she stepped inside and beat Annalee Grove all ends up, only for the ball to crash out off the crossbar.
There was a further chance for the visitors, this time crafted by Alana Jancevski for Pollicina, who received a disguised free kick, but sliced her effort into the sidenetting.
Half-time: Central Coast Mariners 1-0 Melbourne Victory
Central Coast looked to extend their lead from the restart, and Claudia Bunge had to show both bravery and athleticism to beat Rasmussen to Trimis’ inviting cross. At the other end, Victory’s half-time introduction, Ray, got straight into the action and had an effort deflected behind. Unfortunately, her next involvement would be a costly one.
Looking to get the away side moving up the pitch, Ray saw her pass intercepted by Trimis, and the goalscorer quickly shifted the ball to Isabel Gomez, who gave Rasmussen the opening she duly took from an angle.
61 minutes in, the Mariners would grab a third. Martin managed to sneak past Jancevski on the right, and her low centre was swept home by Rasmussen.
Refusing to give up the fight, Hopkins looked to his bench, and two of his substitutes nearly connected for a goal back. Sienna Saveska smartly curled a cross into the box for O’Grady, whose glancing header rolled wide.
Victory were then foiled by Grove during the closing stages of regulation time. Central Coast’s goalkeeper monitored a penalty-box scamble, intervening when Furphy stabbed the ball goalward as the encounter showed every indication of petering out.
However, Pollicina, the matchwinner in November’s reverse fixture, struck for the third game in a row when she ghosted beyond Elizabeth Barwick-Grey and finished smartly to unnerve Central Coast.
Choosing to retreat, Kory Babbington’s players failed to pick up Sakalis, and when her far-post volley hit the net, the likelihood of a leveller shifted from impossible to probable.
The chance still had to be created, though, and it came from back to front. Courtney Newbon’s heave forward was claimed by Techera; she fed this upfield, and O’Grady, hustling for the ball, broke away ahead of firing past a shellshocked Grove.
Match Details
Central Coast Mariners 3 (TRIMIS 31′, RASMUSSEN 53′, 61′)
Melbourne Victory 3 (POLLICINA 90+1′, SAKALIS 90+3′, O’GRADY 90+4′)
Central Coast Mariners Starting XI: 15. Annalee GROVE (GK), 23. Lorena BAUMANN, 18. Taren KING (C) (13. Kaiya BUCHANAN 80′), 3. Elizabeth BARWICK-GREY, 5. Annabel MARTIN, 26. Isabella COCO-DI SIPIO, 16. Tess QUILLIGAN (77. Cannon REIGEL 88′), 14. Greta KRASZULA, 22. Peta TRIMIS (9. Millie FARROW 80′), 11. Annalise RASMUSSEN (21. Eliza FAMILTON 70′), 6. Isabel GOMEZ (10. Tamar LEVIN 67′).
Substitutes not used: 30. Sophia VARLEY (GK).
Booking: TRIMIS 90+8′, COCO-DI SIPIO 90+9′.
Melbourne Victory Starting XI: 1. Courtney NEWBON (GK), 24. Laura PICKETT (28. Sienna TECHERA 65′), 18. Kayla MORRISON (C), 3. Claudia BUNGE, 66. Alana JANCEVSKI, 81. Grace MAHER (6. Taylor RAY 46′), 10. Rhianna POLLICINA, 23. Rachel LOWE (8. Sienna SAVESKA 65′), 5. Sofia SAKALIS, 9. Holly FURPHY, 16. Kennedy WHITE (7. Ella O’GRADY 70′).
Substitutes not used: 30. Payton WOODWARD (GK), 4. Chelsea BLISSETT.
Booking: PICKETT 55′.
Coming Soon
The busy festive schedule is followed by a New Year’s recess ahead of a return to action on the second weekend of January, when Brisbane Roar visit the Home of the Matildas.
