21/7/25
Above: Melbourne City’s Alexia Apostolakis (sky blue shirt), recently capped by Joe Montemurro for the senior Matildas, is in the Young Matildas squad for next month’s U20 Asia Cup qualifiers. Photo: Melbourne City.
New Young Matildas head coach Alex Epakis has revealed his 23-player squad for the forthcoming U20 Asia Women’s Cup Qualifiers that will take place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
After finishing third in last year’s finals, Epakis’ side will take on hosts Tajikistan, Palestine, and Chinese Taipei in the group stage. The group winners and the best three runners-up overall qualify for the 2026 Finals in Thailand.
Speaking about his selection, the former Perth Glory A-League Women head coach said: “The squad features a blend of players with previous experience within the U-20 age bracket and emerging new talent…
“While a number of players were unavailable for this August’s qualifiers, we are pleased to have named a strong, well-balanced squad capable of performing across what will be a demanding schedule in Tajikistan.
“The squad has benefitted from a recent domestic camp in July, which provided valuable time to further refine our playing style, strengthen our team culture, and build cohesion – all of which puts us in a strong position heading into the tournament.”
Young Matildas squad for the U20 Asia Women’s Cup Qualifiers
| NAME | POSITION | CLUB / MEMBER FEDERATION | |
| Alexia | APOSTOLAKIS | Defender | Melbourne City FC / Football NSW |
| Amelia | BENNETT | Defender | Western Sydney Wanderers FC NPL / Football NSW |
| Tegan | BERTOLISSIO | Defender | Macarthur Rams FC / Football NSW |
| Jasmine | BLACK | Goalkeeper | Northern Tigers FC / Football NSW |
| Milly | BOUGHTON | Forward | Unattached / Football NSW |
| India | BREIER | Forward | Macarthur Rams FC / Football NSW |
| Madeleine | CASPERS | Midfielder | Sydney University / Football NSW |
| Amelia | CASSAR | Midfielder | Macarthur Rams FC / Football NSW |
| Sian | DEWEY | Midfielder | Football South Australia NTC / Football SA |
| Sofia | FANTE | Goalkeeper | Sydney University / Football NSW |
| Tiana | FULLER | Forward | Sydney Olympic FC / Football NSW |
| Skye | HALMARICK | Forward | NWS Spirit FC / Football NSW |
| Isabela | HOYOS | Defender | Brisbane Roar FC / Football QLD |
| Zara | KRUGER | Midfielder | Brisbane Roar FC / Football QLD |
| Grace | KUILAMU | Forward | Brisbane Roar FC | FQ Academy QAS Women / Football QLD |
| Maya | LOBO | Defender | Macarthur Rams FC / Football NSW |
| Ilona | MELEGH | Goalkeeper | Football SA NTC / Football SA |
| Avaani | PRAKASH | Midfielder | Bulls FC Academy / Football NSW |
| Sienna | SAVESKA | Forward | Illawarra Stingrays / Football NSW |
| Rubi | SULLIVAN | Defender | NWS Spirit FC / Football NSW |
| Caley | TALLON-HENNIKER | Forward | Illawarra Stingrays / Football NSW |
| Peta | TRIMS | Forward | Sydney Olympic FC / Football NSW |
| Talia | YOUNIS | Forward | Western Sydney Wanderers FC NPL / Football NSW |
Young Matildas’ schedule in the qualifying tournament:
Tajikistan: 6th August / 7th August, 10.00pm (local) / 3.00am AEST, Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Palestine: 8th August / 9th August, 7.00pm (local) / 12.00am AEST, Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Chinese Taipei: 10th August /11th August, 7.00pm (local) / 12.00am AEST, Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
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