Wellington Phoenix women have put a challenging week behind them to salvage a much-needed 2-2 A-League draw against Melbourne Victory at Porirua.
Reeling from the shock departure of vice-captain Chloe Knott and season-ending injury to defender Marisa van der Meer, the Phoenix were also dealing with the late return of five frontline performers from Football Ferns duty in Colombia on the eve of the game.
They fell behind in the 15th minute, when Beattie Goad's corner was on target for Kayla Morrison to nod past Wellington keeper Rylee Foster.
Within seconds, the Phoenix responded in similar fashion, when Hope Breslin's corner cleared the goalmouth, but was headed back into traffic by Mariana Speckmaier and Kate Taylor rose highest to find the net.
The home side took the lead, when Kelli Brown unleashed a rightfoot thunderbolt from outside the penalty area, finding the crossbar, with midfielder Emma Main following fast to head home.
Before halftime, Kurea Okino scored the equaliser for Victory, when Foster charged out of goal to smother a dangerous throughball, but missed altogether, presenting an open goal to Japanese striker on the angle.
Turning into a strong wind, Wellington were unable to add to their tally, but also frustrated Victory's bid for three competition points, as the second half remained scoreless.
"It was an absolute battle out there," reflected Phoenix captain Annalie Longo. "It was pretty scrappy and the wind made it hard for both teams to play quality football.
"We were a little bit lacking in that defensive third and in the final third, I think we lacked a bit of qualify as well, so probably a fair result.
"It's been a tough week for us, with players on Ferns duty coming back into the squad, but good to get a point out of it."
The result sees them consolidate third on the competiton table, one spot ahead of the Victory, but three points adrift of Perth Glory and Melbourne City. Phoenix visit bottom-placed Adelaide United next Saturday.
"We need to freshen up and move forward from this game," said Longo. "Particularly in the attacking half, we need to be more composed in possession and use the flanks."
Wellington Phoenix 2 (Taylor & Main) Melbourne Victory 2 (Morrison & Okino)
