Western United suffered a second straight loss in the A-League Women’s competition, upset by the Newcastle Jets on Wednesday night.
Back in Ballarat, United was hoping to return to the winners list with five changes to its starting line up.
Among the changes was Aleks Sinclair, who made her first A-League start.
United started the game well, but failed to register any clear shots on goal, before Newcastle began to gain control.
There were a few nervy moments for United goalkeeper Hillary Keane, the first in the 20th minute.
Natasha Dakic stepped in making a last-ditch block to clear the danger.
Those two were involved again moments later albeit with far greater difficulty as a mix-up allowed Ashlee Brodigan a shot on open goal which went wide.
When United eventually gained more a foothold in possession, Hannah Keane had two sighters in quick succession but both missed.
Four corners in a row for the Jets put the pressure back on the hosts, and while the second one was whisked away after the Jets hit the crossbar, the fourth brought about the opening goal as Taren King headed home unmarked at the back post.
Down 1-0 at the half, the last thing United needed was to concede an early goal in the second half.
Despite having made several changes at half time, United wasn’t able to stop an early goal.
Brodigan scored within moments of the restart. United continued to struggle to apply pressure as the Jets looked to hold onto the lead.
United had two massive opportunities to get back into the game in the last half hour, but weren’t able to convert either, with the Jets winning 2-0.
Despite the result, United remains at the top of the table ahead of a big match against Melbourne City on Saturday.
