McCaskill the difference as Sydney women triumph in Grand Final

Sydney FC outplayed Sam Kerr’s Perth Glory to win their third W-League Grand Final. Savannah McCaskill, Caitlin Foord and Princess Ibini repeatedly carved up Glory, the Sky Blues defence snuffed out most of the trouble posed by Kerr and her attacking accomplices Rachel Hill and Alyssa Mautz.

Central defenders Stephanie Kennedy and Elizabeth Ralston made nuisances of themselves all game, policing Kerr and denying her the one on one situations where she thrives.

Sofia Huerta knocked on the door of the USA World Cup squad with a sterling display at right back. She netted a screamer in the sixth minute. McCaskill spied her run and teed her up from 20 meters and she unleashed an unstoppable shot to Eliza Campbell’s top left corner.

Glory mainly spent the rest of the game chasing shadows. They got on level terms when Kerr won and converted a penalty in the 23^rd minute and it looked like they might hang on until half time.

McCaskill however had different ideas. Four minutes before half-time, a rather innocuous ball was flighted in as she seemed well marshalled by a Glory defender and Campbell the goalkeeper. But McCaskill showed great awareness of Campbell’s precarious positioning to let the ball scuff of her forehead with her back to the goal exposing Cambell stranded off her line. 2-1 to Sydney.

The second half started much like the first as Sydney controlled the game. The Sky Blues forwards were giving the Glory defence plenty  to worry about as they sat deeper and deeper, creating a disconnect with their midfield and reducing their talented frontline to fighting for scraps up front or coming deeper where their threat was neutralised.

McCaskill continued to harass and it was no surprise when she scored her second to put her team 3-1 up, nicely controlling a high ball and converting with a powerful daisy-cutter.

But this Perth Glory side have loads of skill and heart (although the latter was more evident today) and refused to give up.

A well-placed Nikki Stanton corner from the right was side footed with perfect weight and trajectory over Sydney and Washington Spirit ‘keeper Aubrey Bledsoe by Mautz. 3-2 with 68 minutes gone.

For a few minutes it looked like Perth might be on the verge of another amazing comeback, just like last weekend against Melbourne Victory. But only for a few minutes.

In the 70^th Matilda midfielder Chloe Logarzo restored Sydney’s two-goal advantage. Mautz’s weak clearance found Logarzo outside the box. From an awkward position she regained her balance and buried it into the flailing Campbell’s top left corner.

For the rest of the game Glory continued to battle, but never looked like overcoming their midfield vacuum, which was slightly mitigated by fresh legs in the shape of promising youngsters Caitlin Doeglas and Lexi Moreno.

Sydney were the champions and Perth had lost their third Grand Final.