The Newcastle Jets have ended a tough eight-day period in which they played three games by succumbing 4-0 to Perth Glory at Macedonia Park on Sunday night in round 13 of A-League Women.
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The Jets were the more threatening in the opening stages, having five shots inside the first 10 minutes without reward.
In fact, they finished the match with 17 shots compared to Perth's 11 but had nothing to show for it.
The visitors penetrated Glory's defence but lacked conviction with their shots and needed more polish on a lot of passes in the final third in perhaps a show of fatigue from a testing week on the road.
Perth gained success from their first attacking raid, which resulted in a penalty after Jets midfielder Murphy Agnew felled Sofia Sakalis in Newcastle's 18-yard box.
Sakalis did not miss from the spot, slotting her right-footed shot into the left edge of the goal to give Perth a 1-0 lead after 15 minutes.
The next came in the 41st when Isabella Foletta scored with a beautiful strike from the top of the box.
The hosts looked set to extend the lead further early in the second half when Sakalis again stepped up to the penalty spot after Jets fullback Lauren Allan had handballed in the box.
But an outstretched Newcastle shot-stopper Georgina Worth tipped the attempt over the crossbar.
Cyera Hintzen showed plenty of class to net a second-half brace and seal the three points for Perth, who improved to 15 points and seventh position to keep alive their finals hopes.
The American struck from the top of the box in the 67th minute then produced a curling long-range effort seven minutes into stoppage time to complete the rout.
Coach Gary van Egmond, in his third game in charge since taking over from Ash Wilson, stuck to the same starting side which beat league leaders Western United 2-0 in Ballarat on Wednesday.
The match was the last for American Sarah Griffith, who was on loan to the Jets from Chicago Red Stars and is heading back to the United States for the National Women's Soccer League pre-season.
The Jets now have a two-week break to regroup before hosting Western United at No.2 Sportsground on February 26.
They have five games remaining and are looking to finish as high on the ladder as possible.
The loss on Sunday left Newcastle in second-last position with 10 points, five clear of bottom-placed Wellington, who lost 1-0 to Western Sydney on Sunday.
On Saturday, Western United came from behind to down second-placed Melbourne City 2-1, Canberra upstaged Sydney 2-1 and Melbourne Victory drew 1-1 with Brisbane.
Points: Western United 30, City 25, Sydney 24, Victory 22, Canberra 17, Brisbane 16, Perth 15, Western Sydney 14, Adelaide 13, Jets, 10, Wellington 5.
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Renee Valentine
Renee Valentine is a sports journalist with more than 20 years of experience in Newcastle. She is passionate about increasing the visibility of sportswomen in the media. Got a sports story, email Renee at r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au
Renee Valentine is a sports journalist with more than 20 years of experience in Newcastle. She is passionate about increasing the visibility of sportswomen in the media. Got a sports story, email Renee at r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au
