Tara Andrews scored her fourth goal of the season and Claire Coelho produced a superhuman effort in goals for the Jets but it wasn’t enough as Brisbane Roar came from behind to claim the three points after a 2-1 victory on Sunday afternoon at Lions FC Stadium.
Coelho was the busiest player on the pitch in the early stages as she first dove full length to her right to deny Hayley Raso, before needing to be equally as agile to tip over Carson Pickett’s effort just moments later, and as the Jets settled into the game, it was the visitors who took the lead after 22 minutes thanks to their all-time leading scorer’s 33rd goal in Jets colours.
Tara Andrews found Nikki Flannery with her initial header inside the Roar penalty area, and when Flannery played the ball back into the path of Andrews, she made no mistake in lashing the ball past Mackenzie Arnold to put the Jets up 1-0.
Just two minutes later, Andrews had a chance to double her tally when Arnold’s clearance fell at the feet of the Jets number 9, however her long-range effort drifted wide with the empty net gaping.
Brisbane continued to pressure the Jets goal and levelled the scores just four minutes before the break when Clare Polkinghorne found room in the area and headed past Coelho from close range as the two sides went into the sheds locked at 1-1.
The second half began following a similar pattern to the first, with the home side putting the Jets under pressure but Coelho was in inspired form as she twice denied Yallop from giving the Roar the lead, but in the 69th minute there was little she could do to as sheer weight of possession told on the Jets defence.
After Pickett’s long-range effort came crashing back off the crossbar, second-half substitute Hollie Palmer reacted quickest to head home the rebound to put the hosts back in front.
Despite the setback, the Jets continued to fight and Andrews thought she had equalised in the 77th minute but for Arnold’s top drawer save to deny the Jets an equaliser.
As the Jets chased the game, Coelho denied Yallop once again by tipping her cheeky chip onto the crossbar, but despite the shotstopper’s heroics, the Jets were unable to find an equaliser as Brisbane secured all three points.
Our Westfield W-League side will begin 2020 with a trip to Melbourne in Round 7, where they will play the first match of a Jets doubleheader against the Victory on Sunday 5 January.
