A-League Women: Former Matilda Teresa Polias highlights penalty 'red flag' Canberra United must crack down on

United went down swinging in a 2-1 loss to Melbourne City on Saturday, nearly finding a late equaliser despite struggling to find many chances in the match.

Vice-captain Emma Ilijoski agreed with commentary during the encounter that described a penalty awarded to City as "soft", but also acknowledged Canberra do need to be better in defence.

A-League legend and ex-Matilda turned commentator Teresa Polias suggested that United's priority over the week break before their next match on November 4 at home should be on cracking down on penalties.

Along with the penalty conceded on the weekend, United also gave up two more in their round one 4-4 draw with Adelaide United.

Polias knows there is inexperience in the young United squad, and in a match like they played against City where Canberra had only 28 percent possession, fatigue also takes a toll.

However the former defender said some intensive video review sessions will be in order to address their penalty issue.

"Three penalties in two games, that, to me, stands out as a bit of a red flag," she said.

"So I do believe they need to have a look into that. They do have a young backline as well, so these are all learning curves, and it's a great opportunity for them to learn from that."

Canberra's backline in the Melbourne match featured Tegan Bertolissio, 17, Sasha Grove, 18, and Alex McKenzie, 21, with the latter guilty of conceding the decisive penalty.

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United will benefit from a longer preparation before they face Glory at McKellar Park, courtesy of an international match window where the Matildas will be playing two Olympic qualifiers in Perth.

That should allow plenty of time for Canberra's coaching staff to try and remedy their defensive lapses.

"We take a lot of learnings from this," Ilijoski said of their defeat that ended a nine-game undefeated streak.

A bright spot for Canberra's defence was Young Matildas goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln, who faced a whopping 33 shots against City.

Though only 18 years old herself, Lincoln's game has improved rapidly in recent seasons, and she had an excellent performance with Young Matildas coach Leah Blayney watching on in the stands in Melbourne.

"Chloe's an absolutely amazing keeper," Ilijoski said.

"She plays well beyond her years. She kept us in that game and made some massive saves.

"She's going to have an amazing future and as a team we're really, really glad that she's on our side because she communicates a lot too, so her presence is an asset for us."

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