Melbourne Victory Women were pipped by Brisbane Roar in Round 12 of the Ninja A-League on Sunday afternoon.
As in the previous meeting, on the opening weekend of 2025/26, the winning margin was a slender one in favour of the Roar.
Daisy Brown’s second-half goal, the first of her senior career, was the difference at the Home of the Matildas.
Team News
Jeff Hopkins made a single change to the starting XI, with the injured Grace Maher replaced by Taylor Ray in the midfield. Her place on the bench was taken up by the returning Nicki Flannery.
Match Action
Brisbane opened brightly, and it took a fine recovery block from Laura Pickett to stop Sharn Freier getting a clear shot at goal inside 60 seconds.
Then, at the other end, when it was a visiting player making an intervention, Rhianna Pollicina was denied a penalty despite her strike appearing to hit the arm of Leia Varley.
Victory kept pushing for an opener, and were beginning to ask more and more questions, but Rachel Lowe’s effort from the second phase of a corner flew over the top.
The Roar’s attacking players were quiet, although not entirely silenced, and their leading scorer had a prime opportunity to put them in front. Bente Jansen was free in the box and connected cleanly, only for a well-set Courtney Newbon to get right behind it and make the save.
At the half-hour mark, Hopkins’ side went the closest of either side so far to finding the breakthrough. Lowe set Holly Furphy free down the right, and her cross-shot kissed the crossbar as it flashed beyond the clutches of goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln.
Half-time: Melbourne Victory 0-0 Brisbane Roar
After firing over a guilt-edged chance shortly after the restart, Brown made amends from close range in the 56th minute. Perhaps not knowing awfully much about it, the 19-year-old, from under the crossbar, applied the final touch to Marianna Seidl’s troublesome corner delivery.
Unfortunately, when Victory had their own set-piece moment, Pollicina was uncharacteristically wayward with her attempt midway through the second half.
Needing a change of fortune, Hopkins turned to his bench, first deploying Flannery and Sienna Saveska, and then the hero against Central Coast Mariners Ella O’Grady.
It was, though, two starters, Pollicina and White, who combined seamlessly for Victory’s last real chance, with the latter being denied one-on-one by Lincoln as Brisbane preserved their first clean sheet of the campaign.
This could have been in danger during injury-time, but the referee decided Pollicina had not been felled illegally by an orange-shirted player.
Match Details
Melbourne Victory 0
Brisbane Roar 1 (BROWN 56′)
Melbourne Victory Starting XI: 1. Courtney NEWBON (GK), 24. Laura PICKETT (28. Sienna TECHERA 87′), 18. Kayla MORRISON (C), 3. Claudia BUNGE, 66. Alana JANCEVSKI, 6. Taylor RAY, 10. Rhianna POLLICINA, 23. Rachel LOWE (8. Sienna SAVESKA 71′), 5. Sofia SAKALIS (7. Ella O’GRADY 82′), 9. Holly FURPHY (11. Nicki FLANNERY 71′), 16. Kennedy WHITE.
Substitutes not used: 30. Payton WOODWARD (GK), 4. Chelsea BLISSETT.
Booking: MORRISON 53′.
Brisbane Roar Starting XI: 1. Chloe LINCOLN (GK), 2. Leia VARLEY, 3. Daisy BROWN (15. Kiera MEYERS 76), 5. Aimee MEDWIN (4. Kijah STEPHENSON 76′), 7. Momo HAYASHI (C), 11. Marianna SEIDL, 17. Bente JANSEN, 22. Ava PIAZZA (8. Josie STUDER 69′), 24. Sharn FREIER, 27. Ashlyn MILLER, 32. Alicia WOODS.
Substitutes not used: 12. Tahlia FRANCO (GK), 6. Ruby CUTHBERT, 18. Amali KINSELLA.
Booking: None.
Coming Soon
Second up in 2026 is the Original Rivalry, with Victory travelling to Adelaide United on Saturday, January 17, kick-off 4:50pm AEDT. It is then back to Victoria for the hosting of Sydney FC the following weekend.
