A-League Women: Canberra United hit season 'turning point' ahead of long-awaited home game

United claimed a 2-0 win in Adelaide on Saturday, in what ended a month-long losing streak.

It also marked the first time since that last win that they kept a clean sheet.

Scoring goals wasn't an issue to start the season for Canberra United, but when the defeats started stacking up, they began to struggle at both ends of the park.

Something changed against Adelaide United though, and pre-game the team spoke about how important it was going to be for their run in the second half of the season.

"It was going to be our turning point in the season where everything will just start to fall into place," Nicki Flannery said.

"You work so hard, and you shall fall short, and it's quite frustrating. But I think winning away [from home] just shows great resilience in the group of girls.

"It was just a great team performance and a really gutsy one."

Young Matilda Sasha Grove said their defensive lapses will be a thing of the past if they "just relax" and not get too anxious in the attacking third.

"It's very easy to get ahead of ourselves and panic when we want to score all the time," Grove said. "When we slow it down, everything's a breeze."

Now Canberra United want to keep that winning feeling in a home game at McKellar Park on Saturday against Newcastle, Flannery's former team.

"We just need to be cautious of their speed in behind," the attacking midfielder warned.

"If we just keep developing on what we showcased on the weekend, I don't see why we won't get the three points."

Flannery is also making sure she relishes her opportunities on the field after an ACL injury suffered during a Matildas talent ID camp in 2021 kept her sidelined.

"I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself," she said. "I've got to remind myself sometimes that I missed last season.

"I'm really grateful to be playing 90 minutes in games, starting and feeling fresh and fit. So for me, that's that's a win, and it's even better when our team is winning as well.

"We have a really cohesive team on and off the field. Hopefully this is the start of a really exciting end of season for us."

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