A history-making match destroyed any remnants of Canberra United's finals hopes, shifting their focus to getting the winless monkey off their backs in the next five games.
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United fell 3-0 to Wellington Phoenix on Friday night, marking the visitors' first win in the A-League Women's competition since their entrance this season, and stretching Canberra's winless season out to nine games.
The maiden win crushed United's hopes of finals and keeps them second last on the ladder, with goal difference their only saving grace to avoid the wooden spoon.
"The goal now is to play as well as we can, individually and as a team," United coach Vicki Linton said.
"We all play for our future, for the pride and for Canberra United. Regardless of the league ladder, we always want to finish well. And to be honest, I don't think we've played to our best all season, so we're still pushing for that. That's how we want to finish."
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Canberra was without Laura Hughes and Hayley Taylor-Young in the midfield due to injury, while Chelsee Washington and Allira Toby were carrying niggling injuries during the game.
The injuries have come at the worst time for United, who kicked off their six games in 22 days run against the Phoenix.
Despite finals hopes out of the picture, Linton said the team would regroup and focus on recovery ahead of Tuesday's match against Western Sydney Wanderers.
"It's going to be management, we're already got a number of players battling," she said.
"So it's just going to be management and rotation, and making sure we can rest players, give players appropriate minutes, and everyone's going to have to step in and deliver."
Whilst it was a crushing night for Canberra, on the other side of the coin it was a historic first ALW win for the visitors.
The maiden win was topped off by a clean sheet for the young side, and Wellington's coach Gemma Lewis said they were very happy to keep the likes of Ash Sykes and Michelle Heyman scoreless at Viking Park.
"For those girls to step up and deal with players like that is really pleasing for us," Lewis said.
"I think it also shows the growth that they're having in this league, because they're young - 18, 20, 21 - and they're working really hard in that space.
"It seems silly, right? It's just one game in a league, we're still bottom of the table, but for the sacrifices these girls have made, they're doing it tough ... so it means a lot when they get this reinforcement of why they are doing it."
Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
