Wellington Phoenix into A-League Women final after dramatic extra-time win
Sunday, 10 May 2026
At Porirua Park, Wellington: Wellington Phoenix 2 (Makala Woods 42’, 102’) Brisbane Roar 0 after extra time. HT: 1-0. FT: 1-0. Wellington Phoenix won 3-2 on aggregate.
Wellington Phoenix are through to the A-League Women grand final after an extra-time semifinal epic against Brisbane Roar.
American striker Makala Woods sealed a dramatic 2-0 second-leg win – and 3-2 aggregate victory – with her second goal in the 102nd minute, sending a record Porirua Park crowd of 5923 into a frenzy.
The Phoenix will face premiers Melbourne City in next Saturday’s final at AAMI Park (6.15pm NZT).
After back-to-back wooden spoon finishes in their first two seasons, they are now just 90 minutes from the club’s first A-League title.
“Today there was no way we were losing,” coach Bev Priestman said in her post-match press conference, surrounded by her entire coaching staff to highlight the collective effort.
“That’s what we said the vision was, to make this city stop, to make his country stop – and we’re not done yet.”
Woods, a mid-season injury replacement, atoned for a missed chance to win it in stoppage time of regulation, when Chloe Lincoln denied her before the rebound clipped the outside of the post.
She made no mistake in the first half of extra time, calmly slotting home from a deep Brooke Nunn cross which Roar defender Angie Beard failed to deal with.
The match-winning double snapped a five-game goal drought at the perfect time.
Brisbane won the first leg 2-1 at Spencer Park last Sunday, but failed to capitalise on their dominance.
“Could of, should of, would of,” Roar coach Alex Smith said. “I try not to deal with that sort of stuff in football or in life. Today we just came up a little bit short, but the season overall, to finish fourth-place with the injuries we had, was a huge achievement for us.”
It took the Phoenix just 42 minutes to wipe out the deficit. Woods latched onto a superb pass from 17-year-old Pia Vlok near halfway, sending the striker through on goal.
Roared on by a crowd more than double the club’s previous best at Porirua Park, the hosts stayed on the front foot after halftime and looked the more likely side to score again.
They should have sealed it in regulation time.
After a series of close calls – including Nunn clipping the crossbar late on – Woods looked certain to score in the 96th minute when a long Vic Esson goal kick flicked off Brisbane midfielder Alicia Woods and sent her through one-on-one.
Lincoln produced a crucial save to force extra time, but only delayed the inevitable.
After Woods gave them the aggregate lead, the Phoenix dug deep through the second half of extra time to book their place in next weekend’s grand final, where they will face Melbourne City, who beat Melbourne Victory 2-0 on aggregate to secure hosting rights.
While Woods grabbed the headlines with a timely return to form, there were standout performances across the park in the Phoenix’s first home playoff.
Defenders Ellie Walker, Mackenzie Barry and Marisa van der Meer again put in huge shifts, barely giving the Roar a sniff and restricting them to one shot on target.
Vlok was a constant threat, with her return to the starting XI proving decisive as she glided between defenders with ease and combined dangerously with Woods and Nunn.
Mackenzie Anthony also made an impact off the bench and nearly set up Woods with a perfectly weighted pass in the 88th minute, only for another chance to go begging.
The late misses only added to the drama and made Woods’ winner even more special. The Phoenix finished with 17 shots to Brisbane’s 11 and their dominance was eventually rewarded.
“There was just something in the air,” Priestman added. “We knew we were going to get it.
“We’re in a final and we know in finals anything can happen, but I’m just immensely proud of the players and the staff. They’re a big part of what the players did today. It’s an amazing moment.”