The Central Coast Mariners are champions of the A-League Women in an historic victory at AAMI Park.
The Mariners got the job done 5-4 on penalties after both regulation and extra time finished 1-1.
Isabel Gomez got the scoring started in the first minute of the second half. Melbourne Victory turned the ball over and an Annalise Rasmussen shot was deflected. Claudia Bunge was unable to clear it properly and Gomez was there to pounce and score.
Victory certainly had their opportunities and their desperation grew as their number of chances did. With a goal chalked off for offside in the first half and another waved away for a foul in the box in the second, it was third time lucky as Bunge headed home the equaliser in the 80th minute.
Neither side could break the deadlock through the rest of regulation and all of extra time, forcing the Grand Final to be decided by penalties for the first time in league history.
The Mariners converted all of their spot kicks on the way to a remarkable maiden championship.
The agony and the ecstasy of penalty shootouts
Never before had an A-League Women Grand Final been decided by a shootout. As a tool used to decide matches they are as exhilarating as they are crushing and this version was no exception.
The Mariners produced five excellent penalties, from 16-year-old Tiana Fuller, who took their first spot kick, to Biana Galic, who sealed the deal. Player-of-the-match Gomez's effort may not have been the most beautiful, slipping right after making contact with the ball, but even it found the back of the net.
For Melbourne Victory, Alana Jancevski's opening penalty miss was unfortunately the only blip on their scorecard. It was a devastating miss for the winger-turned-fullback who boasted a 100% record from the spot before the kick.
While she will no doubt be devastated and her teammates will be throwing their arms around her as they work through the disappointment of coming so close to another championship, it is worth remembering the words of former Matildas coach Ante Milicic.
Following Sam Kerr's miss in the round of 16 shootout loss to Norway in the 2019 Women's World Cup, Milicic said: "All I will say is only big players can miss penalties because small ones don't take them."
The little club that could
It's a phrase that was used repeatedly in the wake of the Mariners back-to-back championships in the A-League Men in 2023 and 2024 along with their 2023-24 AFC Cup victory.
Central Coast has never claimed big dog status. They're a small club from a small catchment area. But on their day, they are capable of remarkable things. And the story of their women's side is arguably even more remarkable.
A foundation club that folded after two seasons due to financial issues, the Mariners spent 13 long years away from the A-League Women. An attempt to rejoin the league in 2010 was knocked back, but they were finally readmitted in 2023-24.
Since then they have made finals in both seasons, knocked out the previously undefeated Melbourne City from the finals this campaign, and claimed a maiden trophy away from home against a highly fancied Melbourne Victory.
With perseverance, grit, and tenacity, their story has all the hallmarks of a fairytale and an incredible cast of characters to match.
And no story of this Mariners side can be told without speaking about Emily Husband.
Just the fourth woman coach to win the A-League Women title, her ascent through the ranks at Sydney University up to the Mariners has been stunning. The work she has done in two seasons at Central Coast has garnered almost instant results.
And she is viewed just as highly by her charges as she is by her peers.
Izzy Gomez's big week
Mariners midfield maestro Izzy Gomez may never have another week quite like the one she's just had. The spotlight was on her last Sunday when her controversial goal sealed Central Coast's passage to the Grand Final, ending Melbourne City's unbeaten season just one game short of the big dance.
Both coaches labelled the goal offside but with no VAR, the goal stood and sent her team to the Grand Final.
Midweek she was called up to the Matildas again with her first callup earlier in the A-League season derailed by a cruelly timed injury.
And in the Grand Final, on the biggest stage of all, it was her goal which got the Mariners on the board first. She put in a strong performance all game, converted her penalty in the shootout, however clumsily, and claimed player of the match honours.
It's party time for @CCMariners 😎🏅
— Ninja A-League (@aleaguewomen) May 18, 2025
📸 @bythewhiteline
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History has its eyes on you
Central Coast's victory signals the end of an era the league may have not even realised it was in. Every Grand Final since 2016 has been won by one of three clubs: Melbourne City (4), Sydney FC (3), or Melbourne Victory (2).
Canberra United in 2015 was the last team outside this big three to win the championship until this season. And if any club was going to break the hegemony, few would have suspected the Mariners as being the disruptors. Not just because they've been back in the league for such a small amount of time, but because they only rocketed up to fourth in the league in the final round of the regular season.
But there is a romance to the Mariners winning. Yes, there is controversy surrounding how they punched their ticket to the final. There was a seemingly blatant handball call that was not punished. If these incidents are corrected, maybe it changes everything. Maybe it changes nothing.
But in a season where Melbourne City looked like runaway winners, and Melbourne Victory were mere centimetres behind them the whole way, a completely leftfield winner like the Mariners is as fun a story for the neutrals as any.
Let the Gossy good times begin.