{"id":324143,"date":"2025-01-09T23:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/?p=324143"},"modified":"2025-01-10T09:14:20","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T20:14:20","slug":"ninja-a-league-round-9-match-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/ninja-a-league-round-9-match-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Ninja A-League Round 9 Match Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Wellington Phoenix have risen to fourth in the Ninja A-League after delivering their best performance of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Phoenix have beaten Western Sydney Wanderers 3-0 at Wanderers Football Park in Sydney thanks to a spectacular long-range strike from Alyssa Whinham, a maiden A-League goal from Alivia Kelly and Emma Main\u2019s second of the campaign.<br><br>Western Sydney were forced to play the best part of an hour with just 10 players after their goalkeeper Shamiran Khamis was red carded in the 34<sup>th<\/sup> minute.<br><br>But Wanderers were second best throughout, with the Nix amassing an incredible 42 shots at goal to just four against.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Match Highlights - Wellington Phoenix v Western Sydney Wanderers\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QkbhqiIRV-U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Phoenix head coach Paul Temple has hailed the \u201cpretty clinical display\u201d.<br><br>\u201cIt was a really good performance,\u201d Temple said post-match. \u201cProbably our best performance of the season, maybe since I\u2019ve been in charge, with the ball.<br><br>\u201cI thought we moved the ball really well and created countless opportunities to get in and around their box and take shots. We looked dangerous.<br><br>\u201cObviously the sending off just after the midway point of the half does change the game\u2026there\u2019s no doubt about that but I thought we were going well 11 vs 11.<br><br>\u201cWe were looking confident and looking the most likely and then the dynamic changes a lot.<br><br>\u201cI was really pleased with how we handled the pressure because ultimately when a team gets a player sent off that early in the game all the expectation is on the team with 11 to win.<br><br>\u201cIt\u2019s nothing we\u2019ve experienced before. It\u2019s the first time it\u2019s happened to us. We handled that pressure really well and in the end it was a pretty clinical display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"324157\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/ninja-a-league-round-9-match-review\/a-league-women-rd-9-western-sydney-wanderers-fc-v-wellington-phoenix-8\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065777.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"3275,2184\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Getty Images&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 09: Alyssa Whinham of the Phoenix competes with wan6during the round nine A-League Women&#039;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\\\/Getty Images)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1736450265&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2025 Getty Images&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;A-League Women Rd 9 - Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Wellington Phoenix&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"A-League Women Rd 9 &#8211; Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Wellington Phoenix\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA &#8211; JANUARY 09: Alyssa Whinham of the Phoenix competes with wan6during the round nine A-League Women&#8217;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065777.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065777.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"800\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065777.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-324157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065777.jpg 3275w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065777.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065777.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065777.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065777.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065777.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA &#8211; JANUARY 09: Alyssa Whinham of the Phoenix competes with wan6during the round nine A-League Women&#8217;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Temple reserved special praise for Whinham, whose sublime goal was her first of the season.<br><br>\u201cI\u2019m just delighted for Alyssa because she\u2019s been working so hard at training to add the shooting element, especially from distance, to her game.<br><br>\u201cShe\u2019s been having a few more shots in games and hasn\u2019t quite got it so to see that effort go in, you saw in her celebration how much it meant to her.<br><br>\u201cI\u2019m so pleased for her. It\u2019s fantastic reward for a player who\u2019s working really hard at her game and trying to improve every game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Post Match Interview - Alyssa Whinham (Wellington Phoenix v Western Sydney United)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jdYvRXylfGs?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Paul Temple made one change to the XI which started Saturday\u2019s 2-0 home win over Perth Glory with American defender Alivia Kelly returning to the side in place of fullback Zoe McMeeken, who was named amongst the substitutes.<br><br>The Phoenix dominated from the opening whistle and were an inch away from scoring inside two minutes when captain Annalie Longo rattled the crossbar directly from a corner.<br><br>Khamis made a couple of saves a short time later; first to deny Mebae Tanaka from converting a defence-splitting pass from Olivia Fergusson and then to keep out Mackenzie Barry\u2019s header from the resulting corner.<br><br>Fergusson became the second Nix player to be denied by the woodwork in the 17<sup>th<\/sup> minute when she headed Tanaka\u2019s right-wing cross against where the post and crossbar met, rattling the frame of the goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"324152\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/ninja-a-league-round-9-match-review\/a-league-women-rd-9-western-sydney-wanderers-fc-v-wellington-phoenix-6\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193070593.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"5101,3401\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Getty Images&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 09: Olivia Fergusson of the Phoenix shoots during the round nine A-League Women&#039;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\\\/Getty Images)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1736451649&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2025 Getty Images&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;A-League Women Rd 9 - Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Wellington Phoenix&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"A-League Women Rd 9 &#8211; Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Wellington Phoenix\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA &#8211; JANUARY 09: Olivia Fergusson of the Phoenix shoots during the round nine A-League Women&#8217;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193070593.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193070593.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"800\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193070593.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-324152\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193070593.jpg 5101w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193070593.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193070593.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193070593.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193070593.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193070593.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA &#8211; JANUARY 09: Olivia Fergusson of the Phoenix shoots during the round nine A-League Women&#8217;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Wellington were given space to shoot and Longo and Grace Jale both had multiple attempts from distance, but were unable to trouble Khamis for the next 10 minutes or so.<br><br>Western Sydney\u2019s \u2018keeper made a great reflex save shortly before the half hour mark to deny Fergusson after the English striker she got on the end of a perfectly weighted through ball from Longo.<br><br>Despite the Phoenix\u2019s dominance, Wanderers could have snatched the lead in the 33<sup>rd<\/sup> minute if it hadn\u2019t been for a last-ditch tackle from Barry inside her own six yard box.<br><br>Moments later the hosts were down to 10 players when Khamis was sent off for bowling over Fergusson outside her penalty area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"324150\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/ninja-a-league-round-9-match-review\/a-league-women-rd-9-western-sydney-wanderers-fc-v-wellington-phoenix-4\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193069547.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"4502,3001\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Getty Images&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 09: Shamiran Khamis of the Wanderers is shown a red card from referee, Isabella Mossin for making contact with Olivia Fergusson of the Phoenix during the round nine A-League Women&#039;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\\\/Getty Images)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1736451342&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2025 Getty Images&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1600&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;A-League Women Rd 9 - Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Wellington Phoenix&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"A-League Women Rd 9 &#8211; Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Wellington Phoenix\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA &#8211; JANUARY 09: Shamiran Khamis of the Wanderers is shown a red card from referee, Isabella Mossin for making contact with Olivia Fergusson of the Phoenix during the round nine A-League Women&#8217;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193069547.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193069547.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"800\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193069547.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-324150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193069547.jpg 4502w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193069547.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193069547.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193069547.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193069547.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193069547.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA &#8211; JANUARY 09: Shamiran Khamis of the Wanderers is shown a red card from referee, Isabella Mossin for making contact with Olivia Fergusson of the Phoenix during the round nine A-League Women&#8217;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The shots kept coming from the Nix after Khamis\u2019 dismissal.<br><br>Fergusson had a great opportunity to break the deadlock in the 40<sup>th<\/sup> minute after being teed up by Jale, but she skied her shot over the bar from six yards out.<br><br>Replacement goalkeeper Keely Segavcic ensured the match remained scoreless at halftime when she made a great save to tip Longo\u2019s long-range effort over the bar in first half stoppage time.<br><br>Alyssa Whinham ended the stalemate in spectacular fashion less than 10 seconds into the second half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"324149\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/ninja-a-league-round-9-match-review\/a-league-women-rd-9-western-sydney-wanderers-fc-v-wellington-phoenix-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193071812.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2661,1774\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Getty Images&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 09: Alyssa Whinham of the Phoenix celebrates scoring a goal during the round nine A-League Women&#039;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\\\/Getty Images)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1736453259&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2025 Getty Images&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;8000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;A-League Women Rd 9 - Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Wellington Phoenix&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"A-League Women Rd 9 &#8211; Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Wellington Phoenix\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA &#8211; JANUARY 09: Alyssa Whinham of the Phoenix celebrates scoring a goal during the round nine A-League Women&#8217;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193071812.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193071812.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"800\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193071812.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-324149\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193071812.jpg 2661w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193071812.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193071812.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193071812.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193071812.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193071812.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA &#8211; JANUARY 09: Alyssa Whinham of the Phoenix celebrates scoring a goal during the round nine A-League Women&#8217;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>From the restart Whinham beat a couple of Wanderers with a clever turn in the centre circle, burst forward into space and then unleashed a shot from 30 metres out which sailed over Segavcic and under the bar. She celebrated in now trademark fashion.<br><br>Wellington goalkeeper Carolina Vil\u00e3o was called upon to make her first save soon after when Amy Chessari shot from outside the box but it was straight into Vil\u00e3o\u2019s arms.<br><br>Kelly doubled the Phoenix\u2019s lead shortly before the hour mark.<br><br>The American defender slotted home from six yards out after following up a long-range effort from compatriot Maya McCutcheon that was well saved but fell at Kelly\u2019s feet.<br><br>The Nix had several more attempts at goal over the next 20 minutes but none were able to test Segavcic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"324153\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/ninja-a-league-round-9-match-review\/a-league-women-rd-9-western-sydney-wanderers-fc-v-wellington-phoenix-7\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065941.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"4559,3039\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Getty Images&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 09: Grace Jale of the Phoenix competes with Amelia Bennett of the Wanderers during the round nine A-League Women&#039;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\\\/Getty Images)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1736450467&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2025 Getty Images&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;A-League Women Rd 9 - Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Wellington Phoenix&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"A-League Women Rd 9 &#8211; Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Wellington Phoenix\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA &#8211; JANUARY 09: Grace Jale of the Phoenix competes with Amelia Bennett of the Wanderers during the round nine A-League Women&#8217;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065941.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065941.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"800\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065941.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-324153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065941.jpg 4559w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065941.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065941.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065941.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065941.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193065941.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA &#8211; JANUARY 09: Grace Jale of the Phoenix competes with Amelia Bennett of the Wanderers during the round nine A-League Women&#8217;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At the other end of the pitch Vil\u00e3o was called upon just once more as a Western Sydney shot from distance came straight to her.<br><br>Substitute Emma Main completed the scoring in the 83<sup>rd<\/sup> minute when she got on the end of a perfectly weighted ball over the top from Grace Jale and beat an on-rushing Segavcic with a first-time shot.<br><br>Main could have scored another a handful of minutes later when she was again played in behind by Jale, but this time Western Sydney\u2019s rookie \u2018keeper was up to the task and able to save the shot with her foot.<br><br>There were no further goal scoring chances of note and the final whistle signalled a second straight Phoenix win and clean sheet.<br><br>The Wellington Phoenix are staying across the ditch with their next match at Adelaide United on Sunday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"match-card-embed-root\" class=\"match-card-embed block-match-card-embed block_beaff96f4346aa1926903fef91e21042\" data-competition=\"9p3nnxhdjahfn8qswpzy8oyc3\" data-club=\"7213z0g9qz2msv8wbbi1xpzpw\" data-match=\"e6x0ko8ky8c3z27i8gjc6v2tw\" data-position=\"16\"><\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Wellington Phoenix:&nbsp;<\/strong>39. Carolina VIL\u00c3O (gk), 3. Tiana JABER (2. Zoe MCMEEKEN 64<sup>th<\/sup>), 4. Mackenzie BARRY, 5. Alivia KELLY, 6. Maya MCCUTCHEON, 7. Grace JALE, 9. Olivia FERGUSSON, 10. Alyssa WHINHAM, 14. Mebae TANAKA (11. Manaia ELLIOTT 64<sup>th<\/sup>), 16. Annalie LONGO (c) (20. Emma MAIN 76<sup>th<\/sup>), 21. Lara WALL.<br>Unused substitutes: 22. Aimee DANIELI (gk), 15. Daisy BRAZENDALE.<br><br><strong>Western Sydney Wanderers:<\/strong> 20. Shamiran KHAMIS (gk), 3. Gemma FERRIS (14. Ella BUCHANAN 60<sup>th<\/sup>), 5. Amelia BENNETT (31. Keely SEGAVCIC (gk) 37<sup>th<\/sup>), 6. Amy CHESSARI, 7. Amy HARRISON (c), 9. Sophie HARDING, 10. Sienna SAVESKA (13. Talia KAPETANELLIS 68<sup>th<\/sup>), 11. Danika MATOS, 15. Cushla RUE, 19. Talia YOUNIS, 37. Ena HARADA (8. Olivia PRICE 68<sup>th<\/sup>).<br>Unused substitutes: 12. Bronte TREW.<br><br><strong>Goals:<br><\/strong>10. Alyssa WHINHAM (Wellington Phoenix) \u2013 46<sup>th<\/sup><br>5. Alivia KELLY (Wellington Phoenix) \u2013 59<sup>th<\/sup><br>20. Emma MAIN (Wellington Phoenix) \u2013 83<sup>rd<\/sup><br><br><strong>Cards:<br><\/strong>20. Shamiran KHAMIS (gk) (Western Sydney Wanderers) \u2013 red \u2013 34<sup>th<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"324148\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/ninja-a-league-round-9-match-review\/a-league-women-rd-9-western-sydney-wanderers-fc-v-wellington-phoenix-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193076608.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2382,1588\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Getty Images&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 09: Phoenix players celebrate at full-time during the round nine A-League Women&#039;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\\\/Getty Images)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1736456121&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2025 Getty Images&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;10000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;A-League Women Rd 9 - Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Wellington Phoenix&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"A-League Women Rd 9 &#8211; Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Wellington Phoenix\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA &#8211; JANUARY 09: Phoenix players celebrate at full-time during the round nine A-League Women&#8217;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193076608.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193076608.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"800\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193076608.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-324148\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193076608.jpg 2382w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193076608.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193076608.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193076608.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193076608.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193076608.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA &#8211; JANUARY 09: Phoenix players celebrate at full-time during the round nine A-League Women&#8217;s match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":254,"featured_media":324147,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[329,330,327,343,355],"tags":[],"competition":[],"acf":{"match_card_embed_league":5096,"match_card_embed_club":null,"match_card_embed_match":"322480","match_card_embed_disable":false,"auto_publish_updates":true,"reference_article":null,"article_featured_video":"","article_featured_video_tagline":"","article_byline":"","article_media_type":"news","article_video":"","gallery":"","shared_ffa_source":"keepup","shared_hide_in_app":false,"article_player":"","article_team":"","article_competition":"","article_match":"","credit":"","related_articles":"","push_to_social":false,"priority":1,"sport":false,"language":"en","private_content":false,"access_level":"","article_id":"","app_featured_image":null,"article_content_group":"news"},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/ninja-a-league-round-9-match-review\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Ninja A-League Round 9 Match Review","url":"http:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/ninja-a-league-round-9-match-review\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/ninja-a-league-round-9-match-review\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193071905.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193071905.jpg"},"articleSection":"Breaking News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"brenton"}],"creator":["brenton"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Wellington Phoenix","logo":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/04\/cropped-Wellington_Phoenix_FC_logo-2.png"},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2025-01-09T10:30:00Z","datePublished":"2025-01-09T10:30:00Z","dateModified":"2025-01-09T20:14:20Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Ninja A-League Round 9 Match Review\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/wellingtonphoenix.com\\\/news\\\/ninja-a-league-round-9-match-review\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/wellingtonphoenix.com\\\/news\\\/ninja-a-league-round-9-match-review\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wellingtonphoenix.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/11\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/GettyImages-2193071905.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wellingtonphoenix.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/11\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/GettyImages-2193071905.jpg\"},\"articleSection\":\"Breaking News\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"brenton\"}],\"creator\":[\"brenton\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Wellington Phoenix\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wellingtonphoenix.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/11\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/cropped-Wellington_Phoenix_FC_logo-2.png\"},\"keywords\":[],\"dateCreated\":\"2025-01-09T10:30:00Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-09T10:30:00Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-09T20:14:20Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193071905.jpg?w=1080&h=1080&quality=75","image":{"sizes":{"full":{"url":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2193071905.jpg","width":1024,"height":683,"caption":"SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 09: Alyssa Whinham of the Phoenix celebrates scoring a goal with team mates during the round nine A-League Women's match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix at Wanderers Football Park, on January 09, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. 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