The Wellington Phoenix Women have reinvigorated their Women's A-League finals hopes.
The Phoenix came from behind to beat Western Sydney Wanderers Women 2-1 and lift the Sister City Cup at Porirua Park, courtesy of late goals from Mebae Tanaka and Olivia Fergusson.
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The victory snapped Wellington’s five-match winless run and moved the Nix just a point adrift of the top-six.
Phoenix head coach Paul Temple said it was a massively important result for the team.
“The last two weekends [and] last night’s games they’ve all been going in our favour really and we haven’t been able to capitalise,” Temple said.
“So, it’s huge for us to get three points because it capitalises on that, cuts the gap to one and of course if it’s that tight it’s anyone’s game. The manner of how we won that game today will help the confidence as well so it was just what we needed.”
Temple felt his substitutes were the difference.
“We were talking on the bench about Mebae and how she has X-factor and a bit of quality and it was all about trying to find her a moment. Thankfully the ball dropped to her, and it was an incredible hit.
“As soon as that goes in the whole life goes back into the team and then Fergie I thought finished her chance really well. It was a good cross from Zoe that came on so the subs made a big impact."
Temple made two changes to the XI that started last Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Adelaide United, with Daisy Brazendale and Manaia Elliott returning to the side in place of Zoe McMeeken and the injured Mackenzie Barry.
The Phoenix started brightly with Fergusson unleashing the first shot of the match inside 60 seconds, but pulled it off target.
Elliott came close to opening the scoring seven minutes later following a free-flowing Nix attack, but she too pulled her shot. Fergusson also headed an Annalie Longo corner wide of goal before 10 minutes were on the clock.
Despite Wellington’s initial dominance they were unable to test Sham Khamis in Western Sydney’s goal and Phoenix ‘keeper Carolina Vilão made the first save of the match in the 20th minute when she kept out Sienna Saveska’s powerful effort from the top of the box.
Bronte Trew put Wanderers in front a couple of minutes later when she pounced on a ball mis-played by Alivia Kelly to slot home into an empty net.
After a flat period the Nix finished the half with renewed energy. Emma Main shot over the bar from six yards out after Western Sydney were unable to deal with an Annalie Longo corner in the 29th minute.
Fergusson had three further goalscoring opportunities before halftime. She struck the outside of the post after Alyssa Whinham made a mazy run and picked her out in the six yard box, found the side-netting from a Longo cutback and wasn’t able to bring a threatening Main cross under control and it bounced into Khamis’ arms.
Vilão made a save seven minutes into the second half to keep out a shot from Trew, but otherwise Wellington continued where they left off in the first half.
Moments after Trew’s shot, Fergusson headed a left-wing cross from Elliott narrowly wide of the near post. Khamis made a double save in the 58th minute to keep Wanderers in front. She first denied Whinham and then spectacularly tipped Elliott’s follow-up around her post.
Elliott had to be replaced soon after, having copped a nasty knock to the head. Tanaka came on for the final half-hour.
She drew the Phoenix level 15 minutes from fulltime, finding the roof of the Western Sydney net with a thunderous effort after Wanderers were unable to properly clear a right-wing corner.
The Nix continued to dominate after Tanaka’s equaliser and finally got the reward for their endeavour in the 86th minute when Fergusson redirected a cross from substitute McMeeken past Khamis.
Western Sydney threw numbers forward in the closing stages in the hopes of pinching a point but were unable to trouble Vilão.
The Phoenix Women, who lifted the Sister City Cup for the fourth straight match, head across the Tasman next week to play Sydney FC on Saturday.
Wellington Phoenix Women 2 (Mebae Tanaka 75', Olivia Fergusson 86') Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Bronte Trew 22'). HT: 0-1