Who could be the next generation Matildas strikers?

By Kieran Yap 7/11/23

Above: Kahli Johnson (Right) after scoring for Western United in the A-League Women’s. Photo: Western United.

Kerr, Foord and Raso will thankfully be with us for a while, but there are numerous attackers being prepared by the youth setup to step in when the time arises.

There are few faults to be found with The Matildas most recent performances, and no obvious weaknesses in the team, but as it was before the World Cup, the search for more strikers continue.

Sam Kerr and Caitlin Foord will almost certainly be part of the next Australian World Cup squad, and Amy Sayer is on the path to be the next big thing, but the preparations for the home tournament were spent searching for more options at centre forward, and the opening match against Iran showed that a more 18 yard box specialists are still needed.

It is yet not time to look for the “next Sam Kerr.” But only three of the 13 goals were scored with her on the bench and none without either Kerr or Foord on the pitch. Matildas spots are hard to earn, but if there is any space to break in, it is as an alternate number nine.

This is not a list of “Olympic Bolters.” It will be an 18 player squad and good players will already miss out. Amy Sayer and Mary Fowler can play in the position, but are far more dangerous in freer roles.

Succession planning has so far been excellent for Australia, as Clare Hunt, Clare Wheeler and Kyra Cooney-Cross have been able to replace the previously irreplaceable, and in attack players are being prepared for the Matildas when the time comes.

Kahli Johnson– Young Matildas, Australian Under 23’s

The Western United striker has developed dramatically over the past two years. She started the first two group games for Australia at the Under 20 World Cup in Costa Rica, and was one of the first signings announced for Western’s debut season.

Her performances in the A-League Women steadily improved through the season, and her tactical versatility was utilized as Western surged to a second place finish. Johnson’s performances escaped wide public acknowledgement in the shadow of World Cup winner Jess McDonald and Golden Boot winner Hannah Keane, but she clearly learned a lot in addition to scoring some sensational goals.

Johnson’s crowning moment as a forward to watch was the first semi final against Sydney FC. She took responsibility in attack and stood out with a match winning assist for Keane along with a sparkling and combative display up front.

Johnson’s progress has carried over into Young Matildas games. She is a near fixture in attack for The Under 20 and Under 23 sides and scores with regularity. Like Foord, Kerr and Mary Fowler, Johnson can be deployed anywhere in a front three to equal effect and is increasingly showcasing her ability to turn matches.

She has a powerful shot, good dribbling ability, impressive pace and a willingness to win the ball back. Kahli Johnson is on the road to a senior international call up.

Bryleeh Henry– Young Matildas, Australian Under 23’s, Senior Matildas

The Melbourne City forward made her senior Matildas debut at 18, and did not look overawed against Brazil in a 2021 friendly. She scored in front of 30,000 opposition fans at the Under 20 World Cup and backed that up with more strong performances in Costa Rica, and was included in the last Under 23 camp against Scotland where she is said to have impressed coaches in her favoured strikers role.

Her move to Melbourne City brought immediate goals, three in the first two games. But a shift out wide has meant that the prodigious goal scorer has learned new tools for her trade.

At her best, Henry is a brilliant penalty box predator. Her goals generally come from close range after well timed runs from deep or reacting quickest to half chances. Her pace has seen Dario Vidosic prefer her as winger, but she has the talent to play in any attacking position.

Like Johnson, Henry is a player willing to fight for possession and is adept at a hard pressing game plan. In the absence of Sam Kerr in the recent window, what Australia missed was an instinctive, mobile player who exploits space in the final third.

Her role at City has not really allowed the A-League Women public to see it as often, but her performances for Australia’s youth sides have shown that the national team setup see her as a long term option for the national team.

At just 20 years of age, Henry is very much in contention to be a Matildas option in the near future.

Charlize Rule– Junior Matildas, Young Matildas, Australian Under 23’s, Senior Matildas Train-On

Hear me out. Rule is best known as a defender at Sydney FC and and Brighton and Hove Albion, but began her career as a forward and has trained with the senior national team as a striker.  She is one of the most promising up and coming Australians, and can frankly, do almost any job on a football pitch.

Rule was called up to Matildas camps in 2021 against The USA where she was listed as a forward, and started Australia’s final group game in the Under 20 World Cup as the spearhead.

She might have been used deeper in her club career, but Rule is still seen as a potential striker, and was once again called up as a train-on player for the Olympic Qualifiers.

She is fast, has an excellent first touch, and can be deadly in the air.  Rule is one of Australia’s most versatile young footballers and has excelled in numerous roles through her career.

Ellie Carpenter and Charli Grant look to be fixtures at right back for the next decade, but Rule remains very much part of the national team setup and in contention for more senior call ups in future.

Do not rule out Charlie for a return to the striker’s role.

Holly McNamara: Senior Matildas

If not for an ACL injury in 2022, Holly McNamara could have easily been in the 2023 World Cup Squad. She scored on her A-League Women debut for Melbourne City in 2021 with a ridiculous curling effort from the edge of the box, and was the creative force behind Hannah Wilkinson’s goal scoring exploits.

McNamara was called up to the 2022 Asian Cup squad and made her senior Matildas debut in the 18-0 win over Indonesia, she looked sharp and came close to scoring, but her effort hit the post after a trademark run through the middle.

Soon after returning to Australia, tragedy struck and she succumbed to a third ACL injury in four years. She returned from that to hit instant form with City at the tail end of the 2022/23 A-League Women season, where a final round display against Canberra United underlined her talent for the few left unaware.

She is unique. A fast, unpredictable dribbler with footwork and passing that recalls Lisa De Vanna and who’s ability to run from deep with the ball is equal to any in the Australian game.

McNamara is a dynamic, inventive striker who is consistently capable of the unexpected. A composed finisher, brave dribbler and inventive passer. She has the full package for an attacking player and needs only luck and fitness to break through into the senior Matildas again.

Alana Jancevski (Junior Matildas, Future Matildas program) , Emilia Murray (Young Matildas, Australian Under 23’s), Ella O’Grady (Young Matildas)

All three of these attackers are on the radar of the national team selectors, but up until the end of 2022/23 they were not regular starters at club level. Jancevski has missed out on recent Youth Team selections, but is part of Adelaide United’s first choice 11.

Her impressive displays for previous club Perth Glory and dominant season in the NPLW Victoria with Bulleen Lions has earned her a place in the Future Matildas program. She is a dynamic, composed and inventive striker who always wants the ball when the game is on the line.

Her shooting power, pinpoint passing and confidence from a dead ball make her a likely star of the A-League Women, and if she can become  a consistent goal scorer Jancevski could find herself with a senior cap by 2027.

Emilia Murray has captained the Under 20 side, and although is mostly used as a winger, has shown an eye for goal. She currently dominates for the Young Matildas with her direct running and calm  decision making in the final third. Murray usually starts on the bench for Adelaide United, but the talent is obvious and if she continues to progress as she has, could one day replace any number of current Matildas stars.

Ella O’Grady has only just begun her career, but as a pure finisher, she is one of the most promising prospects on this list. The 17 year old is yet to fully establish herself as a senior A-League player, but has scored one goal for Melbourne Victory in her two appearances so far.

O’Grady is realistically a few years away from being in the mix for a Matildas spot, but is progressing through the youth ranks at Football Australia, and does not look out of place when she takes the field against senior A-League players.

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Squad rotation, three wins and big crowds: The Matildas made a success of Perth matches

By Emma Burke 7/11/2023

Above: Mary Fowler was dominant and influential across all three games. Photo: Kris Goman for Impetus

So, the Matildas have successfully made their way through the second stage of Olympic Qualifiers, defeating Iran 2-0, Philippines 8-0, and Chinese Taipei 3-0 in a series of games played in Perth.

This means they will now head on to the final stage to play Uzbekistan over two legs early next year, with the winner of those two games securing a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

Each of the three games offered something different to both the Matildas and the viewers alike.

The opener, against Iran, saw a very different starting eleven take the pitch to what new fans from the Women’s World Cup would have been used to, including a start in goal for Tegan Micah, making her return to the national stage after a long recovery from a concussion.

As Iran set themselves in a low defensive block and had no qualms with stopping play for any altercation that could even potentially be a possible injury, Australia found themselves faced with the challenge of remaining focused, patient, and calm for the 90 minutes (and the 11 minutes of extra time). 

Now that we’re outside of the World Cup, games are no longer really do-or-die. Lower ranked and under-funded teams tend to focus on minimising damage and will often do whatever they need to make that happen. It’s understandable, even if it makes the games a harder watch for fans.

The breakthrough goal came as Ellie Carpenter’s fourth international goal, and the deal was sealed late in the second half through Sam Kerr on her homecoming trip to Perth. 

Much of the excitement was driven by Caitlin Foord and many bright sparks were shown by Amy Sayer, who seems to be well on track to start making a name for herself within the national team.

Almost 60 thousand people made their way to Optus Stadium for the second game of the qualifiers, a match against the Philippines, one that was touted to be the more dangerous of the three opponents. 

The Philippines had come in off the back of their debut appearance at a World Cup, Women’s or Men’s and collected their first win against Co-Hosts New Zealand. 

Even though the Philippines were playing under a new head coach in Mark Torcaso after Alen Stajcic departed following their World Cup campaign, Tony Gustavsson was taking no chances. 

Gustavsson made eight changes to the starting eleven, sending out what was our full powered World Cup line up.

It felt almost like overkill after the first half as the Matildas went up 5-0, with the opener scored by Mary Fowler, and braces collected by Sam Kerr and Caitlin Foord. By the end of it, Kerr had scored a hattrick (as well as the Matildas 900thgoal in all competitions), Foord had scored a hattrick (her first ever international one), and Clare Wheeler had opened her scoring account with the Matildas, scoring the last of the eight goals, a beautiful long ranged effort that curled into the back of the net. 

The final game took the Matildas back to HBF Park, where they faced Chinese Taipei. Again, despite maintaining majority of the possession of the ball, the Matildas had to take their time in breaking down and open their opponents. This breaking down was not helped by the incredible performance put on by Chinese Taipei’s goalkeeper Cheng Ssu-yu, who made multiple incredible saves to keep them in the game. 

Chinese Taipei kept Australia scoreless in the opening 45 minutes, something neither team before them had managed, but eventually, spending so much mental energy on constant defending wore them down, and a moment of brilliance from Mary Fowler opened the scoring. Another two goals were to follow, from Kerr and Tameka Yallop, leaving Chinese Taipei defeated 3-0, despite having put on quite a performance.

The Matildas now look to next year when they take part in the third and final stage of the Olympic Qualifying process. 

A two-leg series approaches against Uzbekistan, which will be played on the 24th and 28th of February, one game in Tashkent and the other here (if they can find somewhere to play it between Taylor Swift and P!nk concert dates).

The last and only other time the Matildas have face Uzbekistan was in 2007, as part of the qualifying process for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. While the 2007 Tillies won that game 10-0, they failed to qualify due to a defeat at the hands of DPR Korea.

Luckily, this time around, DPR Korea is Japan’s problem to deal with as those two countries will face off to determine the other place in the Olympic tournament for the Asian Football Confederation.

The Matildas toured Perth with the intent of moving ahead in the qualifying process and along the way they managed a decent amount of squad rotation as well as three clean sheets all in front of massive crowds. 

For now though, they can mostly take a break from international flights and focus on their club football, wherever across the globe that may be.

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Photography Showcase

Impetus’ photography team were out and about this weekend at seven games from the top tier down to tier six They have each selected their favourite four images from the match they were pitch side at (6/11/23).

Above: Melbourne Victory put in a tackle at home to Adelaide United yesterday. Photo: Kieran Hui for Impetus.

Brighton and Hove Albion 2-2 Manchester United

from Lucy Copsey at Broadfield Stadium

Barclays Women’s Super League (Tier One):

Liverpool 2-1 Leicester City

from Harvey Todd at Prenton Park

Barclays Women’s Super League (Tier One):

Melbourne Victory 2-0 Adelaide United

from Kieran Hui at AAMI Park

Liberty A-League Women (Tier One):

Durham 0-1 Sunderland

from Matthew Appleby at Maiden Castle

Barclays Championship (Tier Two):

Lewes 0-1 Charlton Athletic

from Liberty Simons at The Dripping Pan

Barclays Championship (Tier Two):

Middlesbrough 6-0 FC United of Manchester

from Matthew Appleby at Stockton-on-Tees

FA Women’s National League Division One North (Tier Four):

Kidlington Youth 8-2 Caversham United

from Rob Mellor at Exeter Park

Southern Region Division One North (Tier Six)

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Blackstenius’ presence clinches vital win for Arsenal

Arsenal 2-1 Manchester City

by Aimee Logan at Meadow Park for Impetus (6/11/23).

Above: Steph Catley (centre) celebrates her sensational opening goal for Arsenal yesterday. Photo: Arsenal Women.

Goals from Steph Catley and Stina Blackstenius a hugely important win over perennial title rivals Manchester City. A victory that moves the North Londoners up to fifth overall.

There was plenty of yellow card action in the first half. Indeed, within the first 10 minutes, both Lia Walti and Cloe Lacasse were booked for the Gunners. Manchester City came in on the attack with the first chance of the game coming from Khadija Shaw on the edge of the area as she fired one wide.

However, despite their early attacking opportunities, the visitors couldn’t prevent the home side’s first wave of pressure and the Australian duo, Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord charged forwards. Foord played the ball back to Catley who was left to finish the move off for the Gunners as she struck the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box for a sensational strike.

The home crowds were enthralled by the Australian duo on top form. Catley and Foord’s stellar performances on international break showed their quality and it seems they’ve bought this back to North London. 

After Arsenal went ahead, City appeared rushed on the ball and were limited to their own half by the Arsenal defence. A rushed attempt at winning the ball off the fast-paced Lacasse, left visiting keeper Khiara Keating committing a foul on the striker, giving away a penalty to the opposition.

The young Lioness shot-stopper quickly became a hero, though, as she denied Arsenal’s captain, Kim Little, a goal from the spot. The yellow cards were consistent throughout the first half, and at the end of the first 45 minutes, each side had three each.

Coming into the opening of the second half, City dominated, and two minutes in, Kelly’s effort was just narrowly wide of Manuela Zinsberger’s goal. Cracks in the Gunners’ defensive lines started to show and another chance from Shaw was also just wide. The Jamaican World Cup star once again tested the home defence, and her header attempt struck the woodwork.

Above: Chloe Kelly (arms outstretched) leaves the Arsenal defence on the floor after her strike levelled the scores. Photo: Manchester City.

A player that Arsenal fans were eager to invite back to Meadow Park, Beth Mead, came onto the field in the 60th minute to replace Lacasse.

Another plus for Arsenal was their ability to keep Mary Fowler relatively quiet. The Matildas starwasn’t allowed to have time she may have wanted on the ball because of the consistent pressure of the opponents’ defenders. She seemed to be a player that the Gunners targeted.

More Matildas on the pitch included the duel between the home team’s forward, Caitlin Foord, and one of her closest international teammates, Alanna Kennedy. Both Kennedy and Foord were both successful at taking the ball away from the other’s feet and as an onlooker, it was evident that the players knew each other very well on the pitch.  

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Above: Mary Fowler in possession for Manchester City yesterday. Photo: Manchester City.

Manchester City were consistent in working their attack around star striker Khadija Shaw. All crosses from outside the box were directed to her so she could attempt to push one past Zinsberger in the net.  

Finally, after several failed attempts, City levelled as a cross to Kelly from Shaw flew in. With 20 minutes of normal time to go.

In the 85th minute, Swedish striker Stina Blackstenius replaced Alessia Russo, in a hope she could score a winning goal for the home team. This didn’t take long, a messy mistake from Keating meant she was far off her line and the ball tumbled over her head, on the edge of the area, falling straight to Blackstenius who tapped the ball into the net. 

After a long pause in play, Arsenal managed the last ten minutes of added time confidently, right until the final whistle, and secured a significant 2-1 victory in front of the home fans. 

Katie McCabe leaps on Stina Blackstenius in celebration, along with Beth Mead

Above: Stina Blackstenius (far left) is mobbed by Katie McCabe and Beth Mead after scoring the winner for Arsenal. Photo: Arsenal Women.

Lotte Wubben-Moy performed impressively and earned herself the Barclays WSL Player of the Match award. When speaking to the media post-match, she explained how ‘’every single forward in the Man City side are a threat’’ and she wouldn’t say that just Shaw pressured her today. However, she joked how ‘’Bunny Shaw today didn’t have a good day, but that’s because I had a good day’’.  

Wubben-Moy wanted to make it clear that taking three points from any game is getting tougher and tougher as the level of the players in the league increases more and more each season: saying ‘’I think that the WSL is one of the most competitive leagues in the world now’’. She also noted a change in her team’s play today, ‘’the Arsenal DNA in the past has been looked at as just ball playing, and today I think we showed that we had a bit of bite about us’’.  

Gareth Taylor didn’t have as good an afternoon as he would have liked even though he stated that he ‘’thought we [Manchester City] dominated’’, but then he also explained how there was only ‘’moments’’ where they were challenging in front of goal: ‘’We’ve spoken about it, we know we need to be more clinical the top end of the pitch. We had three chances in the first five minutes, and we need to be finishing those,’’ said Taylor upon reflection of the first half.  

The Arsenal manager, Jonas Eidevell, was not surprisingly the happier of the pair today. One of the telling comments from his discussion was his expression of confusion that his side were marked as the underdogs of the fixture; ‘’I was a little bit surprised before the game, to be honest, that we were portrayed as the underdog here. In my experience of being here, we’ve won three times out of three against Manchester City, this was the fourth time, I think that’s a very strong record’’.  

During the unexpected stoppages after the Blackstenius’ winning goal, Eidevell had time to speak with his team about how to ‘’manage the game really well in the last ten minutes’’ so that they could still dominate and keep their winning position. He explained he decided to ‘’change formation, we clarified the roles. But then City changed formation, and we saw that before it started, so we could speak about that and clarify the roles again’’.  

On a lighter note, the Gunners head coach was asked about his opinions on fellow WSL manager, Emma Hayes’, decision to leave the league at the end of this season. He described how he has ‘’no doubt that she will leave a legacy’’. He joked how ‘’I think me, and all the other managers are going to make life hell in the WSL as difficult and as unpleasant as possible before she leaves.”  

Despite being the managers of the two London giant clubs, Eidevell wants to keep in contact with Hayes as she moves on to another stage in her career, ‘’She’ll be one of the first ones, after the season, that I might pick up the phone and give a call to because I do think she has some really interesting ideas about football…and when you’re not direct rivals, I’d love to spend a little bit of time with her.” He finished saying, ‘’That phone call has to wait, and we have to remain competitors. Hopefully, she ends in a really bad way, but that wouldn’t ruin her legacy anyway.’’ 

Teams: ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Zinsberger, Wubben-Moy, Catley, Little (C), Walti, McCabe, Foord, Pelova, Russo, Lacasse, Ilestedt. Substitutes used: Beattie, Mead, L. Maanum, Maritz, Blackstenius. 

Scorers: Catley 14’, Blackstenius 87’. 

MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Keating, Aleixandri (C), Fowler, Kelly, Hemp, Morgan, Ouahabi, Roord, Shaw, Hasegawa, Kennedy. Substitutes used: Castellanos, Park, Caparij, Blakstad. 

Scorer: Kelly 72’.  

Referee: Rebecca Welch.

Attendance: 3,453.

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Bayern take crucial win against Wolfsburg

Bayern Munich 2-1 VfL Wolfsburg

by Elsie Nash (6/11/23)

Above: Bayern Munich celebrate a goal in yesterday’s important win over Wolfsburg. Photo: Bayern Munich.

Wolfsburg came out with a lot of high hopes for their trip to Bayern Munich in this eagerly awaited battle of the top sides in the Frauen Bundesliga but ultimately left empty-handed.

Bayern started strongly with Wolfsburg keeper Lisa Schmitz having to deny former Chelsea captain Magdelana Eriksson. The home side continued to push and another ex-WSL player, Georgia Stanway came close, calling on Schmitz to make a finger-tip save.

Eventually, the hosts took the lead after Stanway fed Linda Dallmann who crashed a shot into the net just before the half-hour mark.

Bayern’s pressure reaped further reward as Klara Buhl played a 1-2 with Eriksson before receiving possession back to slot home eight minutes before the break.

The key to Bayern Munich’s success was their continued excellent levels of communication across the pitch which aided their organisation and continued offensive progress.

However, Wolfsburg are a side full of experience at the highest level and with dangerous players throughout their squad. They got a lifeline just after the hour mark as Lena Oberdorf revelled in Bayern’s inability to close her down as she raced through to bring the visitors back into the encounter.

Whilst Wolfsburg looked to step it up and find spaces with their possession, Bayern were well-organised at the back to deny their opponents.

Bayern held on to record a vital three points to hit the top of the table, a point clear of Wolfsburg, who are two points ahead of Hoffenheim who are third.

Teams: BAYERN MUNICH (4-2-3-1) Grohs, Gwinn, Viggósdóttir, Eriksson, Naschenweng, Zadrazil, Stanway, Dahlmann, Damnjanović, Bühl, Schuller.

Scorers: Dahlmann 29′, Buhl 37′.

VfL WOLFSBURG (4-2-3-1): Schmitz, Rauch, Hegering, Hendrich, Wilms, Lattwein, Oberdorf, Brand, Popp, Huth, Pajor.

Scorer: Oberdorf 63′.

Referee: Riem Hussein.

Attendance: 4,300.

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A-League Women Weekly Awards

Player of the week:
Above: Rachel Lowe (right) – an influential performance for Melbourne Victory this weekend. Photo: Melbourne Victory.

BEN GILBY: Millie Farrow. In a Perth Glory side yet to lose this season, the English striker has been a stand-out performer, and put in a sensational display in Saturday’s win over Canberra United. Whilst Farrow is yet to find the net, there is so much more to her game. Her constant running off the ball and surging runs are troubling defences left right and centre. She has also built up a telepathic understanding with Grace Jale after just three games, and that was perfectly encapsulated in the New Zealander’s goal at McKellar Park.

KIERAN YAP: Rachel Lowe. She was essentially the difference between Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory. Adelaide was competitive but missing Emily Condon. Victory had Lowe in her best game of the season so far. The newly signed playmaker was creative, energetic, and dominant. 

BEN CAREY: Holly McNamara. She was back to her best against Western United with her quick, dynamic movement, ability to win the ball in dangerous areas and then attack the goal. She scored a wonderful long-range goal and handed Hannah Wilkinson one on a silver platter. Her contributions single-handedly kept Melbourne City in the game and gave them a point.

Coach of the week:
Above: Paul Temple – two votes for coach of the week. Photo: Wellington Phoenix.

BEN GILBY: Paul Temple. Another impressive performance and victory for Wellington Phoenix. The promise and potential has long been there – finally there are signs that under his stewardship and new style of play, it is coming to the fore.

KIERAN YAP: Alex Epakis. Three games, three wins, and against Canberra United they had to really earn it. Perth Glory are looking like the form team in the early days of the season. 

BEN CAREY: Paul Temple. He has completely rebuilt Wellington Phoenix and the way they play. They are playing possession-based football and the result against Brisbane Roar is a testament to Temple’s hard work. After finishing the previous two seasons in around the bottom, it’s impressive to see the Phoenix sitting in third place right now.

Event of the week:
Above: Ischia Brooking (yellow shirt with ball) in action for Hyundai NTC in the 2022 NPLW WA. This weekend she broke the record for the youngest ever A-League Women player. Photo: Denyse McCulloch.

BEN GILBY: Ischia Brooking’s A-League debut at the age of just 14 years and 347 days. Brooking is a player I’ve watched regularly in the Western Australian state leagues since the tail end of the 2022 campaign and it’s been clear in all that time she has major potential. Now she is getting the chance to show it on the biggest stage in Australian club football with Western Sydney Wanderers.

KIERAN YAP: Cass Davis’s goal in stoppage time for Newcastle Jets against Western Sydney Wanderers. I’m not actually sure how she did that. It was an incredible goal. A late volley at full stretch hit with perfect technique and with stunning athleticism.

BEN CAREY: Kahli Johnson’s wonderful long-range goal against Melbourne City in the 86th minute. Her beautiful goal salvaged a valuable point for her team.

Johnson strike salvages point for Western United

Western United 2-2 Melbourne City

by Emma Burke (5/11/23).

Above: Melbourne City’s Taylor Otto shows her joy as Holly McNamara equalised for her side today. Photo: Melbourne City.

A late equaliser from Kahli Johnson has secured Western United their first-ever draw in round three of the A-League Women against Melbourne City.

Western United came out firing, opening the scoring through last year’s Golden Boot winner Hannah Keane in only the sixth minute of the game. It was a moment to be forgotten for City as their defensive line was found guilty of not only ball-watching, but of leaving Keane unmarked in front of goal.

Melbourne City maintained strong ball possession for the rest of the first half and were able to make multiple attacking runs, but were unable to convert as Western United were content to play patiently, often seen stepping off when City held the ball along their backline.

Holly McNamara, ever a threat, came through for City within minutes of the second half, neatly tying up the scores with an incredible long-range goal that she made look effortless.

Both teams pressed for a potential winner, and it was eventually found by City when McNamara pounced on a poor pass between Western United midfielders and was then released by Rihanna Pollicina.

Above: Laura Hughes (14) in possession for Melbourne City today. Photo: Melbourne City/

McNamara was given ample time to run with the ball and make the correct decision in going for goal. Her shot was sent to the far post and collected just on the line by New Zealand international Hannah Wilkinson who seemed to poke the ball over the line.

While it looked like City were going to secure their first win over Western United, young gun and star Young Matildas striker Kahli Johnson had other ideas.

After receiving the ball from midfielder Emma Robers, Johnson was able to pivot the ball onto her right foot at the top of the box and send in a driving shot that curved out of reach of City’s keeper Lysianne Proulx.

Despite a last-gasp effort from City that had them taking a corner in the seventh minute of the five minutes of stoppage awarded, they were unable to find the winning goal.

The Victorian teams left with a point apiece, and Western United recorded their first draw as a club in the Liberty A-League.

Teams: WESTERN UNITED (4-4-1-1): Dall’Oste, Sardo, Cerne, Maher, Papadopoulos, Keane, M. Taranto (37’ Prakash), Robers, Hidea (60’ Richards), A. Taranto, Logarzo (60’ Johnson).

Scorers: Keane 6’, Johnson 86’.

MELBOURNE CITY (4-4-2): Proulx, Grosso (87’ T. McKenna), Otto, Stott, Torpey, Galic (64’ Karic), Hughes (64’ Davidson), L. McKenna, Pollicina, McNamara, Wilkinson

Scorers: McNamara 49’, Wilkinson 75’.

Referee: Bec Mackie.

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Davis’ rocket saves point for the Jets

Newcastle Jets 1-1 Western Sydney Wanderers

by Ryan Miller-Woods (5/11/23).

Above: Western Sydney Wanderers in possession at Newcastle Jets today. Photo: Western Sydney Wanderers.

In a match where they dominated the number of chances at goal with 11 shots to one, Western Sydney Wanderers were denied their first win of the A-League Women season by a stoppage-time rocket from Newcastle Jets’ Cass Davis.

In the first 10 minutes, it was an even encounter between both sides and while Western Sydney had the most prominent chances towards goal, it was Newcastle who had substantially more possession with 87.2% at that time.

In the 15th minute, an unfortunate incident occurred between Lorena Baumann and Cushla Rue as they clashed heads going for the ball.

Before the half-hour mark, Wanderers came close once more as Alexia Apostolakis who made a great run with the ball directed a through-ball to Milly Clegg but unfortunately wasn’t able to fully capitalise on the chance due to being on an angle and the shot was blocked by Newcastle’s goalkeeper Isobel Nino. At the break, it remained goalless.

Eight minutes into the second half, Western Sydney had a very good opportunity as Apostolakis combined with Clegg once more with the eventual shot was blocked by Nino.

In the 64th minute, Newcastle fashioned their first shot as Melinda Barbieri’s powerful shot in the box was saved by Khamis.

Above: Vicky Bruce (arms extended) celebrates her goal for the Wanderers. Photo: Western Sydney Wanderers.

However, fifteen minutes later, Western Sydney finally broke the deadlock. Amy Harrison’s free-kick found Vicky Bruce in the box whose header nestled into the bottom left corner. Given the number of chances they had created in the match, a deserved goal for the Wanderers.

Yet, despite all their domination of the chances, it was not enough to gain the three points. Two minutes into stoppage time, a mistimed clearance by Western Sydney on the edge of the box saw the ball directly go into the path of Davis who hit a first-time shot that flew straight into the top-left corner.

It was Davis’ recording-breaking 132nd consecutive appearance for Newcastle, breaking the previous record held at the club by Tara Andrews, and there aren’t many better ways to mark the special occasion than with a potential Goal of the Season contender.

Three minutes later, teenage Western Australian star Ischia Brooking made history when she was substituted on for Wanderers, replacing Olivia Price. Brooking became the youngest player to ever feature in the A-League Women at 14 years, 11 months, and 13 days.

Teams: NEWCASTLE JETS (4-3-3): Nino, Baumann, Huynh, Prior, Cicco, Dundas, Davis, L.Allan, Gooch, Barbieri, Copus-Brown. Substitutes: Dunbar, Burrows, Hoban, Karipidis, Hammond.

Scorer: Davis 90+2’.

WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS (4-4-2): S.Khamis, Matos, Bruce, McComasky, Apostolakis, Gordon, Chessari, Price, Rue, Clegg, Morris. Substitutes: Segavcic, Harrison, Harding, Brooking, Caspers.

Scorer: Bruce 79’.

Referee: Caitlin Williams.

Attendance: TBC.

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Chelsea soar to the summit as Villa suffer more heart break

Aston Villa 0-6 Chelsea

by Emily Brown at the Bescot Stadium for Impetus (5/11/23).

Above: Chelsea celebrate on a day that brought joy on the pitch, but unexpected news off of it with boss Emma Hayes announcing she will depart at the end of the season. Photo: Chelsea FC Women.

There’s no stopping a relentless Chelsea as Villa fell to their fifth defeat in as many WSL matches this season.

Villa started off strong, but tides quickly turned with Millie Bright’s opener. At first glance, Jordan Nobbs kept a high press, consistently urging her team forward in the first half, keen to pursue a shot towards goal. Nobbs made an encouraging cross into the box, aiming for Rachel Daly’s head, but the striker couldn’t make the contact she needed. This theme, unfortunately for Villa, went on to reoccur throughout.  

With the pace of Kirsty Hanson back as she made her return following suspension, Villa looked promising down the right-hand side, with Maz Pacheco also making auspicious runs forward, however, this partnership came to no avail as during the final stages of play the connection just didn’t seem to be there for Villa.  

Despite not having Sam Kerr at Chelsea’s disposal due to only leaving Western Australia from international duty towards the end of the week, the West London side still managed to score a multitude of goals, each one by a different goal scorer.

Above: Erin Cuthbert looks to break through at Aston Villa yesterday. Photo: Chelsea FC Women.

The first goal came from Chelsea captain Millie Bright, who made her 250th appearance for the Blues. The move started with Jessie Fleming sending a long ball in from outside the box landing for Mia Fishel. Fishel headed it twice towards goal, but the West-Midlands side couldn’t stop the third attempt made by Bright.

Along Chelsea’s left wing ran a blossoming Niamh Charles. To Villa’s fault, she was left frequently unmarked, and Charles made the most of it, making several fantastic runs and crosses in towards Fran Kirby. Through this partnership, Kirby was able to make another attempt goalward before the break, but Villa’s Van Domselaar stepped up once again to keep Villa safe a little longer. 

Chelsea just kept coming and this paid off when Kirby finally got the goal she was after. After passes between Rytting Kaneryd and Périsset, the ball shot across the centre of the goal, aiming for Fishel but spilled out for Kirby. The Blues’ attacker was initially denied by Dan Turner, but the central defender couldn’t get it away far enough as Kirby’s second shot saw the back of the net. 

Midfielder Erin Cuthbert fancied herself a bit of the action and confidently struck from distance. The attempt was saved by the Villan’s goalkeeper almost straight after blocking a shot from Jessie Fleming, highlighting where Villa were struggling defensively as they failed to react quick enough. 

Straight away in the second period, Villa’s defence was called into action after Chelsea passed the ball around the final third. Kirby struck the back of the net, but the shot was eventually ruled offside. Despite Pacheco and Hanson working hard for Villa, desperately trying to create something for their side, Rytting Kaneryd scored the visitors’ third goal of the game, and from then on the floodgates opened.

Above: Celebration time for two of Chelsea’s scorers, Fran Kirby (facing camera) and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd. Photo: Chelsea FC Women.

Emma Hayes brought on substitutes Ashley Lawrence and Aggie Beever-Jones, both writing their names on the scoresheet. With just under 20 minutes left to play, the once again unmarked Charles nestled the ball nicely into the net scoring Chelsea’s final goal of the game and also her first of the campaign. 

A lot of Villa’s problems in this match came from a lack of good decision-making defensively and clinical nature in the final stages of play, particularly that on the left side of the pitch that even the experienced Daly couldn’t remedy.  

The away section of Bescot Stadium was loud and proud. With Chelsea’s performance ending the way it did, understandably, the Blues fans refused to simmer down. Chelsea have taken points away from all five games they’ve played so far, winning them all except for their draw against Manchester City. 

The Blues have now moved up to the top of the table whereas Aston Villa stay down at the very bottom, no longer a place above Bristol City.

Teams: ASTON VILLA (4-3-3): Van Domselaar, Mayling, Patten, Staniforth, Lehmann, Nobbs, Daly, Turner, Blindkilde Brown, Hanson, Pacheco. Substitutes: Salmon, Corsie, Mcloughlin. 

CHELSEA (3-4-3): Berger, Fishel, Bright, Nusken, Carter, Kirby, Périsset, Fleming, Rytting Kaneryd, Charles, Cuthbert. Substitutes: Beever – Jones, Buchanan, Cankovic. Lawrence, Mjelde. 

Scorers: Bright 21’, Kirby 26’, Rytting Kaneryd 56’, Lawrence 63’, Beever-Jones 67’, Charles 73’. 

Referee: Abi Byrne. 

Attendance: 4,086. 

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Parnell reflects on a huge month ahead for Southampton

by Beth McCowen (4/11/23)

Above: Southampton captain Rosie Parnell. Photo: Isabelle Field, Southampton FC.

Southampton’s forthcoming Conti Cup tie with Arsenal is a major event for the Championship club in any case. Yet when you factor in Saints head coach Marianne Spacey’s legendary status at the North London club, then it becomes even more fascinating.

Speaking in an exclusive 1:1 interview with Impetus‘ Beth McCowen this week, Southampton captain Rosie Parnell outlined the focus of preparations being on “us as players.” In relation to Spacey’s previous role at Arsenal, Parnell explained that “Obviously it’s going to be big for her, but I’m sure she’ll just make the occasion about us (…) that’s what she’s like!”                                                           

In terms of what it means to have a few more Barclays Women’s Championship games under their belt before meeting Jonas Eidevall’s Arsenal on 23rd November, whose season has been turbulent thus far, Parnell explained that “We have a really busy November, so hopefully, we’ll have some momentum going into the game and be in a really good place. It’s at home, so what better place to play at?”

The Saints were promoted to tier two in 2022, and they currently, sit just three points below table-topping Sunderland in the league with a huge game coming up at fellow promotion chasers Crystal Palace in the middle of the month.

When we asked about her impact on the team’s impressive progress since their promotion, Parnell modestly said: “We are in a really good place. We were a little bit disappointed going into the international break because obviously, we did lose our last game, but when we look at the table and how many games are left, we are still happy with where we are, and we’ve got a lot to improve on to reach our end goal this season.”

The Saints skipper also spoke about the importance of Southampton’s transition to a full-time model for their women’s team, which was implemented back in 2022, and how it has allowed her and her teammates to progress both individually and as a collective.

“Going full-time is always going to help you. This last year, the traction has really been good and that’s credit to the staff and a credit to the place we were in part-time, in terms of physically, we were able to deal with the load really well. Going into a busy month like this being full-time, you’re able to adapt to the schedule.

“This week looks so different because of international games, next week’s got three games, so again that looks different. Being full-time allows you to do that by having those recovery days that if you were part-time, you wouldn’t be able to do because you wouldn’t be able to access the facilities as much. So, going full-time has definitely only benefitted us.”

In terms of confidence going into the match against Arsenal, Parnell explained: “Hopefully we’re going to have a good run the next four games, so we will be confident going into the game against Arsenal. I think it helps being at home, we’re going to get a big crowd hopefully, so that’s only going to be in our favour.

“At the end of the day, the pressure’s not on us. We’re not expected to win the game, so it’s a great test for us to see where we are. We’ll be confident going into it and enjoy the occasion as players. We don’t know when that’s next going to come around, hopefully next season if we get promoted, but just enjoy it. The pressure’s on them, just show where we are and show how far we have come from last year when we played Tottenham (a game Spurs won 1-0).”

Above: Southampton’s Rosie Parnell poses for a selfie with young fans. Photo: Isabelle Field for Southampton FC.

With Southampton regularly attracting impressive crowd figures to their home games at St. Mary’s, Parnell feels the excitement building among their fans with a bumper attendance on the cards for the visit of the North London giants: “What a game to come to! Especially if it’s your first game, watching us against Arsenal to really see where we’re at and see where we’re looking to go. It’s going to be a good game, one under the lights which in my opinion is even better. Get down to St. Mary’s and hopefully, we’ll put on a good performance and get a good result.”

Finishing our interview on a light-hearted note, we asked which Arsenal player Parnell is most excited about going head-to-head with. Her answer was Alessia Russo. Laughing, Parnell told us that this is because her niece is a big fan of the forward. She jokes about not being sure who her niece will be supporting on the day, but Parnell appears optimistic and hopes her Southampton side will come out on top under the guidance of the experienced Marianne Spacey.

Tickets for Southampton’s Conti Cup tie with Arsenal, to be played on 23rd November with a 6:30pm kick-off can be purchased via this link: https://tickets.southamptonfc.com/selection/event/seat?perfId=10228595168490&_gl=1*11i01um*_ga*MTg5MDQ0MjQyNi4xNjk4ODY4NDAz*_ga_LXLP92QWGK*MTY5ODk0NDE3MC4xLjAuMTY5ODk0NDE3OC41Mi4wLjA.&_ga=2.106175555.1955495173.1698868403-1890442426.1698868403

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