Melbourne Victory Women stand just one win away from silverware, hosting the Central Coast Mariners in the Ninja A-League Grand Final at AAMI Park on Sunday, May 18.
Comprehensively defeating Adelaide United 6-2 on aggregate in the Semi Finals, Melbourne Victory have the opportunity to be crowned as the A-League Women’s Champions at AAMI Park this Sunday.
Enjoying head-to-head success against the Mariners this season, a win for Victory on the big stage will see the club lift their fourth A-League Women’s title.
Melbourne Victory:
Narrowly missing out on the Premiers Plate, Melbourne Victory have been in firing form with their eyes set on the Championship.
Beating third-placed Adelaide United 3-1 in both legs of their semifinals tie, Victory are in the midst of club record-breaking undefeated (15 games) and winning (10 games) streaks.
A brace from attacker Rachel Lowe stole the show at the Home of the Matildas, while hard-working midfielder Sara D’Appolonia fired in her second goal of the season.
Marching straight into the Grand Final, Victory’s match-up with the Mariners poses an opportunity for revenge
Despite recording three wins and two draws in regular season meetings since Central Coast rejoined the competition, Victory’s 2023/24 Finals Series ended after elimination final defeat to the Mariners in a heartbreaking penalty shootout in Bundoora.
This time around, Victory take on the Mariners in the title-deciding match at AAMI Park, something head coach Jeff Hopkins is optimistic about.
“It’s a great venue to play; we love playing (at AAMI Park) and it’s the perfect venue for a Grand Final.”
Following the vibrant support from the Victory faithful in Victory’s semifinals triumph at the Home of the Matildas, Hopkins spoke post-game about how helpful a strong home supporter presence at AAMI Park will be.
“It would be great to have a big crowd in there getting behind us.
“We are the biggest club in Melbourne, potentially in the A-Leagues itself. It would be great to back that up with a real big crowd to get behind us.”
Consistently performing when the lights are at their brightest, Victory are just one win away from a truly historic campaign at AAMI Park on Sunday.
Central Coast Mariners:
Defeated on home soil by Melbourne Victory in their penultimate regular season fixture, a 2-1 win in the F3 Derby ensured the Mariners would narrowly secure a home elimination final against Canberra United.
A come-from-behind win lead by a Jade Pennock brace saw the Mariners prepare for a difficult matchup against Premier, Melbourne City.
Recording a 2-2 draw in Gosford, the Mariners were required to give the Citizens their first defeat of the season at crtl:cyber Pitch.
A red card to City’s Lourdes Bosch in the 25th minute proved to be a pivotal moment in the clash, with the Mariners growing control and confidence with the extra-player advantage.
Neither team able to break the deadlock after 90 minutes, a controversial extra-time winner seperated the teams and meant the Central Coast Mariners would play in their first-ever A-League Women’s Grand Final.
Playing out a difficult 120+ minutes against City, a big recovery and reset will be required for the Mariners against a fit and firing Victory side.
Called up to the Matildas’ latest squad, 22-year-old midfield Isabel Gomez has been a key performer for Emily Husband’s side and will be up for a thrilling battle against the likes of Alex Chidiac and Alana Murphy in the middle of the park on Sunday.
