Brisbane Roar rewarded their loyal fans with an entertaining 2-1 win over Canberra United in their last home game of the season.

Brisbane dominated the game early on, but it was United that took the lead in the 30th minute through a deflected goal from Ashleigh Sykes.

The Roar were unfazed, however, and continued to patiently build opportunities from deep within their own half before utilising their pace down the flanks to send in dangerous crosses. After heavy pressure on the Canberra goal, Tameka Butt finished off a scrappy opportunity from a Katrina Gorry free kick to take the score to 1-1 at half time.

Gorry then opened the second half with style, scoring an absolute screamer from 35 yards out, leaving no chance for Canberra goalkeeper Chantel Jones as the ball rocketed in just under the crossbar.

The incredible goal from Gorry was a fitting reward for the Roar midfielder, coming on the back of consistently impressive performances over the past few rounds.

This week named the AFC’s Women’s Player of the Year, Gorry has been instrumental for the Roar. Her vision and distribution often create clear goal-scoring opportunities for Brisbane, with her pinpoint long balls exposing opposition defensive lines as they find the feet of wide players.

In addition, her willingness to shoot from distance when afforded space means she is also a considerable goal-scoring threat herself.

[More: Katrina Gorry named 2014 AFC Women’s Player of the Year]

Although Brisbane Roar have had a disappointing season, they clearly illustrated their intention to continue to play attractive football, focusing on maintaining strong possession centrally and sustaining consistent movement off the ball to create space to go forward.

The short, sharp passing between Kim Carroll and Gorry, kept the ball moving at speed, while the high work rate of Brooke Spence, Tameka Butt and Hayley Raso ensured the Roar midfield had plenty of options to release the ball into wide areas as they attacked with speed down the flanks.

This resulted in the Roar hammering the Canberra United defence with a number of crosses and corners, however the final touch in the box was missing and the Roar failed to convert a number of their chances.

Another strong performance from Raso saw her frequently getting in behind the Canberra defensive line but her lack of composure in front of goals resulted in her sending a number of shots wide.

Despite Brisbane having the majority of possession, Canberra were not without chances of their own.

Sykes proved to be dangerous as she tore down the wing, often as part of a rapid United counterattack, sending well-weighted balls into the box for strike partner Michelle Heyman.

Nadine Angerer was frequently called into action on these occasions, having to execute a number of fantastic saves to deny both Heyman and Sykes.

Canberra’s central midfield partnership of Lori Lindsey and Kendall Fletcher will need to be more dominant in midfield if Heyman and Sykes are to get the service they need as they take on tough opponents Perth Glory next week.

For the Roar, the 2-1 win was a well-deserved result and their strong performance served as reminder of the overwhelming talent within the squad.

As they head into their final round match against Western Sydney Wanderers next week, the question remains - what went so wrong for Brisbane this season?

Brisbane Roar 2 (Tameka Butt 40’, Katrina Gorry 48’)

Canberra United 1 (Ashleigh Sykes 30’)

Saturday 29 November 2014

Suncorp Stadium

Local kick-off: 1pm

Referee: Casey Reibelt

Brisbane Roar: Nadine Angerer (gk), Clare Polkinghorne, Brooke Spence, Hayley Raso, Kim Carroll, Larissa Crummer (Vedrana Popovic 82’), Katrina Gorry, Tameka Butt, Natasha Wheeler, Angela Beard (Elise Kellond-Knight 51’), Sunny Franco (Emily Gielnik 51’)

Substitutes – Kate Stewart (gk)

Canberra United: Chantel Jones (gk), Catherine Brown (Julia De Angelis 82’), Kendall Fletcher, Caitlin Munoz (Tegan Riding 66’), Ellie Brush, Michelle Heyman, Sally Rojahn, Nicole Begg, Ashleigh Sykes, Lori Lindsey, Stephanie Ochs

Substitutes – Melissa Maizels (gk), Grace Field