ROUND 15 OF THE A-LEAGUE WOMEN COMPETITION AT A GLANCE.
THEY SAID IT: "That is our benchmark … to beat the top team like that, you shouldn't be worried about anybody else in the competition." Canberra coach Njegosh Popovich says there's no reason his bottom-ranked side can't keep showing the form that helped them roll top side Melbourne City on Sunday evening.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sydney winger Cortnee Vine hasn't set the competition on fire in the wake of the Women's World Cup, but she turned in a stellar performance in her side's 3-1 win against Perth on Saturday night. Vine created the Sky Blues' first goal, before burying two of her own with precision finishing.
KEY STAT: Melbourne Victory had to wait 777 days between wins against the Brisbane Roar. Given they won a premiership and made another preliminary final in that span, the Victory will be glad to have removed them from their list of bogey teams.
BEAT THAT: Less than 10 minutes after coming off the bench, Chrissy Panagaris scored her first career goal to net the match-winner in Adelaide's 2-1 victory over Western Sydney. The 24-year-old joined the fray in the 79th minute before snatching the lead with an individual goal six minutes later.
TALKING POINT: One single team hasn't produced the league's two top-scoring players since the 2015-16 season, a feat Canberra duo Michelle Heyman and Vesna Milivojevic are on track to achieve. Given Melbourne City duo Larissa Crummer and Kim Little did that while driving their side to a grand final, it's even more remarkable Canberra's pair are doing it in a bottom-ranked team.
UNDER PRESSURE: You're allowed a form slump after a dominant start to a season like Melbourne City have made, but they have lost three of their past four outings after their 3-1 thrashing at the hands of Canberra. They'll need to find something different to beat Sydney next Saturday.
WHAT'S NEXT: A blockbuster top-of-the-table clash between Melbourne City and Sydney highlights next weekend's action, in what shapes as a potential grand final preview. That clash is on Saturday, with Central Coast hosting Melbourne Victory and bottom-ranked Canberra travelling to Perth the same day. The round opens on Friday night when Western Sydney will try to beat Newcastle and force their way into the top six. Sunday's Western United and Brisbane contest caps off the action.
