report by Nikki Brown

Glory was annihilated by Sydney FC today as Glory succumbed to Sydney's experienced team. Sydney won the game 4-0 at Member Equity Stadium, much to the disappointment of Glory fans.

Glory kicked off the game but Sydney was able to take control early in the first couple of minutes to produce a number of attacks at goal. In the fifth minute Sydney's Leena Khamis scored the first ever goal in W-League. She was set up by a corner kick and managed to keep the ball on the ground and turn it into the goal box.

Three minutes later Sydney received another corner kick this time on the right side of the pitch. Heather Garriock sent the ball into the six yard box and Danielle Brogan managed to head the ball into the back of the net and score Sydney's second goal.

Sydney's confidence increased as the match progressed and Glory's young team were still attacking the goals. A number of attacks by Glory looked as though the ball would make the back of the net; however Sydney's goal keeper Nikola Dieter was able to diffuse any chance of Glory scoring.

Sydney did not slow down on the attacks with Danielle Small managing to get the ball between the legs of two Glory players and the goal keeper to score Sydney's third goal minutes before half time.

Sydney kept Glory goal keeper Kate Stewart on her toes and although Sydney had scored three goals in the first half Stewart made a number of crucial saves, to keep Sydney from further scoring.

Glory's Samantha Kerr who came on late in the first half made an impressive start to the second half producing some great tackles. She was Glory's playmaker in the second half but did not appear to get continuous support from her team mates.

The game opened up more creating more space between players and Glory tried to take advantage of this by intercepting the ball in the middle of the pitch. They were able to defend further up the pitch and create some space forward. Glory were able to miss a couple of penalties for offside. Conway managed to break away from the pack to chase down a long ball and avoid being called offside, but the ball managed to reach Sydney's goal keeper before Conway could get her boot to it.

A soft free kick was awarded to Khamis about 25 yards out from goal. Sydney's captain Heather Garriock took the free kick, which was blocked by the Glory wall and the ball was sent high in the air. Garriock managed to run in to the top of the 18 yard box and kick the ball passed Steward to reach the back of the net.

The game definitely looked over for a tired and inexperienced Glory team.

In the 73rd minute Glory looked to finally get a score on the board, with Kerr awarded a free kick after Sydney's Michelle Heyman applied a tackle. The fee kick was blocked by Sydney's defence wall and sent for a corner kick. Fans were still hoping for Glory to score from the corner kick. Glory almost converted but Carys Hawkins' header was too high and sent the ball over the crossbar.

Glory's last chance at scoring came in the 92nd minute when Seaman again tackled Kerr. Collette McCallum took the free kick at the top of the 18 yard box but curved the ball to the right of the net, just missing.

report by Paul Green

The first weekend of Westfield W-League action included a match at Broadmeadow Magic's revamped Magic Park, officially Wanderers Oval, though there is nothing remotely oval about this excellent facility nurtured by Newcastle's Macedonian community.

The women of Newcastle Jets had new club Canberra United to contend with for their initiation and it promised to be a baptism of fire.

When Jets' captain, Cheryl Salisbury, guarding the near post for a second minute Christine Walters' corner from the left, stuck out a foot and turned the ball into her own net things looked grim for the home side, conceding agoal so soon after the start, but the locals recovered well.

They went on to beat Canberra 2-1, though most present would probably agree that the visitors were the better side on the day.

Officially the Canberra goal was credited to Sasha McDonnell, though it was hard to see how, even allowing for our view being blocked by late-arriving spectators standing in front of the media rooms, as the crowd built pleasingly to around 1,100 by Broadmeadow Magic officials' estimates.

Newcastle took a while to settle but did produce the next real chance, as Canberra appeared to play within themselves, having taken an unexpected early lead.

In the eleventh minute the familiar figure of Katie Gill, who was later to score a brace and troubled the Canberra defence all afternoon, put what looked an excellent chance over the bar.

Canberra found their own first opportunity three minutes later when Kara Mowbray, getting away down the right, laid on a pass for Amy Chapman, whose shot was claimed down low by resolute Jets' keeper, Alison Logue, who was to go on and make many more saves as the game wore on and become a real thorn in the side of the team in green.

Newcastle counter-attacked well in the 21st with Salisbury skipping clear into the Canberra box. While the ball was stuck away by Emily Van Egmond, after the Salisbury shot had been booted clear, the assistant's flag had been raised for offside.

Three minutes later, however, Gill found the net legitimately, after Canberra had failed to press home their advantage in possession and the Newcastle strategy of attacking on the break yielded its first dividend.

Gill used her physical presence to get the better of the last defender to tuck the ball nicely past Lydia Willams to make it 1-1 at half time.

A Canberra corner two minutes after the restart, again from Walters, was played short to McDonnell whose cut-back to Caitlin Munoz was headed just over the bar.

The Canberra side was still looking the more likely winner at this stage.

A good chance went begging in the 52nd after Chapman on the right had provided McDonnell with the opening but the striker lacked conviction on this occasion.

A super-save from the busy Logue in the Newcastle goal denied Munoz in the 60th after Mowbray had once more done the spade work.

Canberra's 58th minute substitute, Ashleigh Sykes, a member of the Young Matildas squad heading to Kuala Lumpur right after this match - Bronwyn Studman, Cian Maciejewski, Van Egmond and Samantha Wood also going there from those playing in this contest - showed great speed and strength to get past her markers on the right only to be thwarted by the cool presence of Logue once more.

It looked as if Canberra would go on with it but they lost a player to injury after making their last substitution and this could have been the catalyst that allowed Newcastle to win the game in the 82nd with another Salisbury goal, also on the break.

Right at the end, after seeing Logue frustrate them continually, Canberra had once last chance to take at least a point but skipper, Ellie Brush, volleyed just over the bar.

It was a great success, this first Westfield W-League game, played at Broadmeadow, as the crowd on a sunny, very warm afternoon exceeded all expectations and provided a tremendous atmospher

If all games in this new league can attract similar interest and support then Westfield has a winner.

NBN cameras were there to record the game played on a pitch lush with grass after a full winter of football played on it in the NBN League by Broadmeadow Magic and their opponents.

Only disappointing note was the lack of a match programme for the spectators who had forked out $5 to watch. Getting to know the names of the players is part and parcel of following a team and having their names on the back of their shirts is not always enough.

Newcastle may not have had the majority of the play but they played it tactically smart, had an excellent keeper and some highly experienced players in their ranks. Getting off to a winning start was great for the supporters and showed that coach, Gary Phillips, had his team well prepared for the opening fixture.

After the game participants from both teams talked freely with the media.

Newcastle coach, Gary Phillips, stated that "We have not had a good preparation but I still had a lot of confidence going into this game. I felt that the experienced player we had in the team would carry us through. We're a bit under-done and we won't be at our best probably until four or five rounds of the season. We should be OK then."

Newcastle's goalscorer, Katie Gill, said "It was good to be back here and after only 24 hours to recover from our flight it was never going to be easy. The crowd today was tremendous."

Robbie Hooker, the Canberra coach, said "We had plenty of chances and there were a few tired bodies when it was all over. Caitlin has done her medial ligaments and Sasha (McDonnell) has a swollen ankle. It was a pretty physical match".

"It just became sort of apparent, the old scenario, that the one just get two really good chances and score and the other team would have a thousand chances but just couldn't score any," added Hooker.

"I think [Jets' Coach] Gary [Phillips] will be the first to admit they dodged a bullet today, but there will be games this year I think we'll will be lucky to get away with that, that's football."

"I don't think they had any more experienced players out there than we did. That was not how they ended up winning the match," he said when asked if he agreed with Phillips that his Newcastle team's greater depth of experience was the deciding factor.

Canberra's Thea Slatyer said that "It was quite physical and rough and a really fast game." "My spirits aren't down from that [performance] at all. It was really tough and the girls did a really good job, I'm really proud of them," said Canberra United's vice-captain. "We haven't had a lot of preparation as a whole squad and I think we did really good job of gelling and playing together and I can't wait to play again with the girls."