Melbourne Victory recruit Rachel Lowe has bagged her first two Liberty A-League goals in navy blue and white, scoring a brace in a 4-0 win over Newcastle Jets on Sunday afternoon. It was a comfortable display from Victory from minute one to 90, with Lowe’s second-minute strike setting the tone for what was to come in a tough afternoon for the Jets at the Home of the Matildas. Lowe’s second came in the 65th minute before substitute Ella O’Grady made it three, and a late Rebecca Burrows own goal put Victory well out of sight.
The convincing Victory performance was soured only by an injury to Emily Gielnik, who was brought on at half-time only to be withdrawn just 15 minutes later; post-game, Victory head coach Jeff Hopkins revealed Gielnik’s withdrawal was a precautionary measure as she experienced tightness in her calf. Victory took less than two minutes to open the scoring after a spillage from Newcastle Jets keeper Isobel Nino which allowed Lowe to swoop in and bag her first goal in Victory colours.
The cross from the right wing was aimed for Kurea Okino and Nino had initially done well to get ahead of the Victory striker to intercept, but failed to keep the ball within her grasp to gift the hosts an early lead. The Jets responded well to going a goal down, with Lara Gooch going close to an equaliser just minutes later with a long-range strike tipped over the bar by Victory keeper Lydia Williams.
Down the other end, however, Nino’s challenging start to the game continued as a poor piece of distribution led to a Beattie Goad interception high up the field, and a resulting chance to double the lead wasted by Lowe; a scuffed Okino strike fell into Lowe’s lap in the box, and after rounding Nino the 22-year-old put a scuffed attempt on target which Jets defender Claudia Cicco cleared off the line Okino is yet to score her first A-Leagues goal after signing for Victory in the off-season, and vented her frustration when a left-footed laser toward the bottom-right corner was tipped past the post by an athletic Nino save just beyond the half-hour mark. A pair of late chances presented to Victory late in the first half with both Okino and Elise Kellond-Knight firing off target.
