Late strike extends Roar lead at the top

A late Celeste Boureille header has secured a come-from-behind win for Brisbane Roar against Melbourne Victory at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.

Second half headers from Boureille and Clare Polkinghorne extended Roar’s lead at least temporarily to four points at the top of the Westfield W-League ladder after the visitors took the lead through a first half Melina Ayres strike.

Former Canberra United midfielder Boureille’s 82^nd minute winner was her first goal in the Westfield W-League after 23 appearances.

Victory took the lead against the run of play in the 22^nd minute when midfielder Ayres found space on the top of the box and smashed the ball into the top corner for her first goal in Victory colours.

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Victory were unlucky not to have found the net moments earlier when Laura Alleway rose highest at the back post putting her lopping header onto the woodwork.

Last ditch defending on the stroke of half time with goal-line clearances denying Boureille and Butt on the stroke of kept Victory’s slender lead intact.

Frustration ran high for the league leaders as they trailed the match with Butt lucky to escape a red-card late in the first half after swinging an arm at Victory defender Gulcan Koca before Katrinna Gorry squared up to Lia Privitelli early in the second stanza.

Roar found the breakthrough in the 56^th minute when Clare Polkinghorne rose above everyone to meet Emily Gielnik’s corner blasting her header off the crossbar and into the back of the net to level the scores.

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Roar then grabbed a winner in the 82^nd minute when their Americans combined as Carson Pickett’s cross found Boureille who’s glancing header snuck past Casey Dumont into the bottom corner.

The win secures Roar’s position at the top of the league ahead of a bye next weekend, while Melbourne Victory remain in seventh as their finals hopes continue to fade.

 Brisbane Roar 2 (Clare POLKINGHORNE 56’, Celeste BOUREILLE 82’)

Melbourne Victory 1 (Melina AYRES 22’)

Suncorp Stadium, Milton

Referee: Rachel MITCHENSON

Assistant Referees: Danielle POTTICARY & Paula ORLANDI

Fourth Official: Rebecca DURCAU

Brisbane Roar

1. Mackenzie ARNOLD, 2. Carson PICKETT, 4. Clare POLKINGHORNE, 6. Celeste BOUREILLE, 8. Kaitlyn TORPEY, 10. Katrina GORRY, 12. Allira TOBY (15. Abbey LLOYD 85’), 13. Tameka BUTT, 14. Summer O’BRIEN, 16. Hayley RASO, 17. Emily GIELNIK

Melbourne Victory

1. Casey DUMONT, 5. Laura ALLEWAY, 6. Annabel Martin, 8. Angela BEARD, 9. Natasha DOWIE, 13. Laura SPIRANOVIC (3. Alexander GUMMER 82’), 14. Melinda AYRES, 16. Lia PRIVITELLI (10. Kyra Cooney-Cross 64’), 17. Gulcan KOCA, 19. Kristen MCNABB, 31. Christina GIBBONS (18. Tiffany ELIADIS 58’)