Perth Glory have held on for a hard-fought 2-1 win against Adelaide United in their Westfield W-League clash at Hindmarsh Stadium on Saturday courtesy of a classy double from Samantha Kerr.
Kerr scored twice in the first half to give the Glory a two-goal buffer at the break before the Lady Reds pulled a goal back with 20 minutes to play to ensure a tense final quarter hour.
Both Perth and Adelaide were keen to respond from thrashings last week, with Perth defeated 5-1 at home by Sydney and the Lady Reds smashed 7-1 by Newcastle Jets.
Perth capitalised on their early dominance and took the lead just after the quarter hour mark, when striker Kerr got in ahead of goalkeeper Kristi Harvey.
Kerr timed her run to perfection and found herself with plenty of time and space inside the Reds penalty area, before getting on the end of a free kick and turning the ball into the back of the net.
Adelaide found the going tough and struggled to pressure the visitors and cause any real problems in attack.
The Lady Reds did have a couple of chances on the half hour but were wasteful in front of goal.
United captain Christina Papageorgiou rose highest to but her header went wide of the post after a dangerously curling free kick came in from the right.
Rachel Quigley was next to miss for the United after the ball fell kindly for the striker who was left unchecked at the back post.
Quigley’s half volley failed to trouble Perth keeper Tine Cederkvist as it sailed over the bar.
Perth regained the ascendancy with Collette McCallum testing Harvey from long range after beating two defenders.
Harvey was equal to the task but could do little a minute later when Kerr scored her second.
The Glory striker again got ahead of the defence after a long ball and lobbed over Harvey who had rushed off her line.
The United shot stopper managed to get her hand to the ball but Kerr’s chip had too much on it as she doubled Perth’s lead just before half time.
Kerr nearly got her hat-trick after the hour when she was involved in some lovely triangle work from the Glory.
The visitors’ slick exchange of passes allowed Kate Gill to tee-up Kerr on the edge of the area but she was unable to direct her shot on target.
The Lady Reds committed numbers forward in search of a way back into the contest and they almost pulled a goal back through their captain.
Papageorgiou collected the ball after Glory had cleared a corner and the United skipper let fly with a 25-metre rocket that had Cederkvist beaten but rattled the bar.
In the 73rd minute the Lady Reds did manage to steal a goal through their hard-nosed midfielder Katrina Gorry.
Gorry had attacked the Perth defence and lost the ball, but it was her ferocious chasing that saw her rewarded with a goal.
The feisty enforcer chased down keeper Cederkvist, blocking her clearance and the rebound fell perfectly for Gorry to take a touch and tap into the empty net.
Kerr squandered another chance to claim her hat-trick in the dying stages after a superb reflex save from Harvey denied the Perth striker from close range.
Adelaide United 1 (Gorry 73)
Perth Glory 2 (Kerr 16, 41)
