Adelaide up to third after 2-0 ALW win over Brisbane

Defender Emily Hodgson's 11th-minute strike and a 78th-minute header from Ella Tonkin was enough to seal all three points for Adelaide at Spencer Park on Sunday.

Adelaide ended the match with nine shots on target compared to Brisbane's one, with the result continuing their merry charge up the table.

Three wins on the trot and five victories from their past six matches has put Adelaide (26 points) just one point adrift of second-placed Canberra (27) and four points behind ladder leaders Melbourne City (30 points).

Importantly, Adelaide have a game in hand on those top two teams, and they have only lost once in their past nine matches. 

Adelaide led 1-0 at half-time of Sunday's match, but they could have easily had two or three goals to their name after setting up a number of golden chances.

Fiona Worts was left to rue wasting her one-on-one chance against the goalkeeper, with her weak shot going straight into the arms of Chloe Lincoln.

Worts unleashed a better strike later in the half, with Lincoln again denying her with a sharp diving save.

It proved a busy half for Lincoln, whose best moment came when she dived to her left to palm away Erin Healy's long-range thunderbolt.

Healy set up Adelaide's 11th-minute goal, with her run down the right and clever cut back allowing Hodgson to score from close range.

It was only Hodgson's fourth career goal, but the second of the season for the 25-year-old.

"I was pretty excited, I haven't scored many goals in my career. So getting up there and scoring was absolutely amazing," Hodgson told Paramount.

"And putting the team up 1-0 quite early is always a positive."

The result was put beyond doubt when an unmarked Tonkin headed home at the far post, with goalkeeper Lincoln left frustrated after her view was obscured.

Brisbane (22 points) would have jumped to equal third with a win, but the loss left them in eighth spot. 

Australian Associated Press