Roar’s attack purring in defeat of Adelaide United

Adelaide United 1-3 Brisbane Roar

By Kieran Yap 7/12/25

Above: Bente Jansen (L) Photo: Brisbane Roar.

Brisbane Roar gained a valuable three points on the road against Adelaide United. Bente Jansen’s brace and a sparkling display by Kiera Myers was enough to secure a 3-1 win against Adelaide United.

Alex Smith’s Roar travelled to Cooper’s stadium for their first outing in three weeks. A bye and a postponement meant that their last game was on the 16th of November, and they were looking to bounce back from that 1-0 defeat to Western Sydney.

Adelaide United had a similar gap between games, but were aiming to sustain momentum from a win against Canberra United almost a month ago.

Brisbane started the strongest of the sides. They fielded a very attacking lineup, with Tameka Yallop, Jansen, Sharn Freier, Grace Kuilamu and Meyers all starting, but they defended from the front. The Roar pressed Adelaide aggressively and any ball that got out the back was mopped up and returned by Momo Hayashi or Alicia Woods.

Adelaide’s midfield of Adriana and Melissa Taranto and Emily Condon, struggled to maintain possession or move the ball forward in the  opening stages. The game was largely being played in Brisbane’s attacking third and Meyers’s tricky footwork created the first real chance of the game, but her cross was blocked.

Despite Brisbane’s early dominance, the home side almost took the lead. Chelsie Dawber’s cross was whipped in dangerously but Melissa Taranto’s outstretched effort was centimetres away from connecting.

Brisbane’s attack finally delivered the opening goal though and it was Grace Kuilamu who broke the deadlock. The young striker calmly finished off Aimee Medwin’s cross from the left to make it 1-0 in the 29th minute.

Brisbane’s strong start was challenged by an apparent hamstring injury to captain and star playmaker Tameka Yallop. The Matildas midfielder pulled up short as she chased a ball towards goal. She punched the turf in frustration and was replaced by Kijah Stephenson.

The injury might have dampened the mood, but not Roar’s momentum. Another flowing passing move found Sharn Freier in space, and another cross from the left ended up in a goal. This time is was Jansen who nodded back across goal to double the advantage.

Adelaide United grew into the game in the second half and pulled one back in spectacular style. After winning the ball back in attack, Dawber’s clever flick put Erin Healy infront of goal, but still with three defenders and 18 yards between her and scoring.

The shot was almost unsavable from the Ireland international. She rocketed the ball beyond Chloe Lincoln before the goalkeeper or her defenders could ready for the strike. It was 2-1 and Adelaide had their spark back.

Another attack from the home side looked like it could be one of the goals of the season. An excellent passing move that began with Holly Murray at the left of defence and ended up with Isabel Hodgson crossing from the right deserved a goal, but Hayashi was ready to clear and deny Adelaide an equaliser.

Even without Yallop, Brisbane’s attack still looked deadly when given the chance and with Adelaide searching for a second, they left themselves exposed to counter attacks through the pace of Kuilamu or Freier.

Kuilamu’s through ball, put Jansen into space and she raced in on goal, although Claudia Jenkins did well to block the initial shot at close range, Jansen was able to scramble home the rebound the effectively seal the result with just over 20 minutes to play.

The Dutch forward almost had a hat trick when Hayashi pushed forward to play her in on goal, but her finish was uncharacteristically off target. Despite that missed chance, Brisbane were able to hold out Adelaide to record a 3-1 win and climb to the top of the table with games in hand over both Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC.

Next up for the Roar is a potentially tricky visit to face and unpredictable Newcastle. Adelaide United will head to Melbourne where Victory await.

Lineups: Adelaide United (4-2-1-3): Jenkins, I Hodgson, McNamara, Murray, Tonkin, M Taranto, A Taranto, Condon, Dawber, Healy, Worts. Substitutes: Rossi, E Hodson, Zois, Murray, Millar, Tolland.

Goals: Healy 51’

Brisbane Roar (4-1-4-1): Lincoln, Millar, Hayashi, Varley, Medwin, Woods, Freier, Yallop, Jansen, Meyers, Kuilamu. Substitutes: Stepehenson, Studer, Kruger, Franco, Kinsella, Piazza.

Goals: Kuilamu 29’ Jansen 45’ 67’

Referee: Caitlin Williams.

Attendance: 4,004.

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Action packed Sydney derby sees spoils shared

Western Sydney Wanderers 0-0 Sydney FC

by Callum Logie (7/12/25)

Above: Western Sydney Wanderers’ Amy Chessari (hoops) battles for possession with Mackenzie Hawkesby today at Marconi Stadium. Photo: Sydney FC.

Marconi Stadium hosted the Sydney derby which saw a lot of action on the field, but neither team was able to get the deciding goal as they split the points.

An overcast but pleasant day in Western Sydney hosted the derby between two sides with different aspirations coming into it. Sydney FC were looking to remain undefeated and move up to the top of the table while the Wanderers were looking to propel up the table with their second win of the season.

Sydney FC started out with a very young back line, with 14 year-old Willa Pearson and 16 year-old Rubi Sullivan getting starts, with fellow teenager Amelia Cassar getting the start in the front three. Chinese International Yuan Cong got the start up front for the Wanderers, who came out in a positive shape seeing both Holly Caspers and Kim So-Eun in the starting eleven.

The first five minutes were rather tentative, with both teams looking to feel each other out and get stuck in defensively. Western Sydney controlled the majority of the possession and territory during the start, but the defensive line of Sydney FC, lead by Kirsty Fenton, held firm.

The first meaningful chance came from Riley Tanner. Western Sydney lost possession after an errant pass from Amy Harrison and Mackenzie Hawkesby leaped into possession and played a clever ball through to Tanner. It arrived awkwardly to the wide forward and her effort on goal was competently collected by Sham Khamis.

On the other end almost immediately after, some determined aerial play from Yuan released Harrison for a driven shot at Tiahna Robertson. Robertson proved equal to the effort and collected the ball on the second effort.

There was no shortage of goalmouth action within the three minutes after the ten minute mark, with Mackenzie Hawkesby drifting wide and setting up a curled shot from Madeleine Caspers. Caspers strike was well directed but saved well by Khamis, and Cassar’s subsequent effort was deflected behind for a corner.

The midfield battle in particular was very interesting to watch, with Harrison, both Caspers sisters, and Bianca Galic all looking to create chances in what was a rather narrow gameplan from each team early on.

At 15 minutes, Hawkesby struck a snapshot half volley after an aerial battle was won by Sydney. While a nice display of ingenuity from the forward, the shot was straight at Khamis who looked in good form to start the first half.

The Wanderers tweaked their game plan early, focusing up the left wing and looking to create with Holly Caspers. The focus was testing Pearson and Fenton in the middle with the aerial threat of Yuan who was winning her fair share of battles in the air.

A breakaway forward set up by nice hold up play from Cong allowed Kim space to break forward, she played a gentle ball across to Holly Caspers who took a shot after taking a touch, but the effort was deflected for another corner. The middle third of the first half was controlled by Western Sydney.

Yuan and Kim combined well on a few occasions in the first half, Cong consistently looking to test the centre backs physically and the creativity of Kim complementing the target forward well.

Yuan’s hold-up play created another chance for the hosts, with Harrison taking a shot from around 20 yards but directing it high and wide, not getting the best connection with her shot.

Hawkesby won a free kick in a dangerous position, well within shooting territory for Sarah Hunter. Hunter did take a curled shot around the wall but it was too close to Khamis who was able to collect the shot at the first time of asking.

Just before half-time, Yuan found herself open from eight yards out for a free header at goal after a good run forward and cross from Ella Buchanan. The shot was just slightly wide of Robertson’s post but it was the closest either team got to opening the scoring in the first half.

Tanner and Hawkesby combined to create a great chance for Caley Tallon-Henniker in the 49th minute, but Khamis charged out to close the angle and made the save to keep the game even at 0-0. Despite the lack of scoring, there was quite an engaging flow of play in this derby.

In the 55th minute, the visitors created a terrific chance. Galic broke forward and set up Hawkesby from just behind the penalty spot. Unfortunately for the forward, her effort was driven over the bar and the scores remained even.

A couple of minutes later, some good passing between Tanner and Galic set up another great chance, this time for Maddy Caspers. Her left foot effort was driven wide of the goal, but Sydney were consistently knocking on the door in the second half.

Robertson nearly conceded the first goal of the game as she played a misdirected pass into the path of substitute Talia Younis who immediately slid the ball across to Yuan. Robertson remarkably got back to her spot in time to make the save from the effort and Sullivan was able to clear from danger as there was an injury stoppage for Robertson, who was able to continue after receiving some treatment for a cut to the head.

Younis drove a shot wide after some clever build-up play from Yuan and Holly Caspers. Yuan took another shot a couple of moments later but was unable to direct it on target. 

The Wanderers once again created a chance after a poor pass from Maddy Caspers directly played in Talia Younis, but Tiahna Robertson charged down and made the save to keep the game even at 80 minutes.

Western Sydney continued to press and push forward, not content with settling for the draw. Some determined forward play led to an excellent shot from the edge of the box from substitute Alyssa Ng-Saad which was denied by an outstretched Robertson who put on a heroic performance in the second half.

In stoppage time, Hana Lowry in her first game in over a year took a shot from the edge of the box that was driven over the bar. It would have been a fairytale return for the midfielder after such a long rehabilitation, but it was not to be.

In an action-packed derby game, both goalkeepers put up great performances to keep clean sheets and mark what may have been the most exciting 0-0 draw of the season. Sydney FC remained undefeated but Western Sydney Wanderers ended their 6 game losing streak in Sydney derbies.

Teams: WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS (4-2-3-1): Khamis, Matos, Cerne, Hooks, Buchanan, Chessari, Harada, Harrison, Kim, Caspers, Yuan. Substitutes: Edwards, Khoshaba, Ng-Saad, Price, Wang, Younis.

SYDNEY FC (4-3-3): Robertson, Lemon, Pearson, Fenton, Sullivan, Kaspers, Hunter, Galic, Tanner, Hawkesby, Cassar. Substitutes: Ayson, Halmarick, Lowry, Oppedisano, Ulkekul, Tallon-Henniker.

Referee: Isabella Mossin.

Attendance: 1,348.

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City steals the points with a late Stott strike

Melbourne City 1-0 Wellington Phoenix

By Alice de Koster-Kitto 7/12/25

Above: Melbourne City celebrates their late winning goal. Photo: Tilly McDonald for Impetus.

Melbourne City have taken the points against Wellington Phoenix, in an intense end-to-end battle at ctrl:cyber Pitch. The match went scoreless for the majority of play, with the Nix looking to be the more likely to take the points until City’s late winner .

The match-up has historically been a difficult one for Wellington Phoenix, having never beaten Melbourne City across their six meetings; however, they did come in with an added benefit, having just come off their first-ever win against Melbourne Victory.

Melbourne City dominated at the start, maintaining their possession-based style of play, but Wellington put up a good fight, making some good interceptions early on.

It was quite a physical match, with City earning a free kick within the first few minutes, following a foul on Holly McNamara by CJ Bott, who wore the armband for Phoenix.

Nepalese international Samba was a standout for the Nix, getting forward and pushing through City’s defence, as the national team’s top scorer searched for her debut Wellington goal, although her chances were intercepted.

The end-to-end action remained, with the intensity of the match only growing as the first half stoppage approached. Both sides had a strong attack and plenty of opportunity, but none that were particularly close or significant. Melbourne continued to hold the possession. However , Wellington’s efforts to capitalise on the possession they managed to take presented danger for the hosts

A pass from Brooke Nunn outside the box almost gave the Nix the lead; however, the shot that attempted to find CJ Bott was slightly too wide to reach the goal, or the captain’s foot.

The pressure from the visitors eased slightly toward the break as Melbourne City looked to respond to their chances. Aideen Keane got dangerously close to tapping the ball into the net, as a deflection from the Nix keeper Aimee Feinberg-Danieli was sent straight to her foot in close range.

As the first half stoppage approached, it seemed increasingly likely that if a goal was to be found in this half, it would come from Wellington Phoenix, with Samba and Nunn continuing to get forward, while the backline held City’s notorious attack back, disallowing any opportunities to reach the net.

The match remained lively and aggressive, with Shelby McMahon being shown a yellow card for a foul on van Der Meer, at the top of 2 minutes of additional time. An excellent effort from Grace Jale almost gave Wellington a last-minute lead, as the ball bounced off the crossbar.  Despite the energy, there were no goals to be found, and the stalemate remained at the break.

The Phoenix opened the second half as the dominant side, with Jale immediately taking a long strike from distance. An excellent save from Malena Mieres saved City from conceding the first goal of the match as Manaia Eliott had a close shot on target following a pass from Nunn.

In a concerning turn for an already injury-stricken Nix side, Samba was taken off following what seemed to be an ankle injury, replaced by Emma Main.

While things were fairly even during the first half, with Wellington taking the dominance towards the end, there was a significant lack of chances from Melbourne City throughout the second half, as they continued to take an uncharacteristically passive role on the pitch.

The 71st minute saw Lucia Leon make her much-awaited Wellington Phoenix debut, coming on for Lara Wall, in hopes the former Adelaide United player could bring the impact the Nix need to complete one of their string of chances and take home the points as stoppage approached. 

Emma Maine got extremely close to opening the scoring following a pass from Brooke Nunn, shooting wide of the goal while holding back Laura Hughes, but the ball bounced off the post, and the goal was denied. 

The scoring was opened by Melbourne City, as Taylor Otto combined with Rebekah Stott, who headed the ball into the net in close range. Despite the Nix’s heavy dominance, it looked as though the hosts would take the lead in the 86th minute.

Wellington desperately searched for an equaliser during six minutes of added time, wanting to capitalise on the significant chances, after dominating throughout the second half.

Despite efforts at both ends, there were no more goals to be found, and the score remained 1-0 to Melbourne City, in an unexpected turn to one of the most contentious meetings of the season thus far.

Round Seven will see Wellington Phoenix head to Sam Kerr Football Centre to take on Perth Glory, while Melbourne City will face Canberra United at McKellar Park.

Teams: MELBOURNE CITY (4-4-2): Mieres, Apostolakis, Stott, Otto, Turner, Keane, Davidosn, Hughes, McMahon, McNamara, McKenna. Substitutes: Barbieri, Wilson, Roestbakken, Uchendu, Jackson, Butrus.

Scorer: Stott 87’.

WELLINGTON PHOENIX (4-4-2): Feinberg-Danieli, Walker, Barry, van der Meer, Wall, Elliott, Bott, Jale, Vlok, Bhandari, Nunn. Substitutes: Main, Brazendale, Leon, Neary, Benson, Bartlett.

Referee: Shab Roshan.

Attendance: 619.

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Canberra upset wasteful ladder leaders

Melbourne Victory 1-3 Canberra United.

by Alyce Collett (5/12/25)

Above: Canberra United celebrate after scoring one of their three goals against Melbourne Victory. Photo: via A Leagues.

Canberra United has caused quite the upset to open the weekend’s A-League Women’s action, downing the ladder leading Melbourne Victory 3-1 for the first time away from home since 2016.

The Victory had more chances than their visitors to score but just could not make the most of them, whereas Canberra did make the most of its chances once it got going. A goal to Kennedy White was eventually cancelled out by a goal from Nanako Sasaki, and then Canberra added to its lead in the second half with a goal from Sasha Grove and an own goal from Kayla Morrison.

The initial moments of the match were at times chaotic, with the ball bouncing all over the place in an unsettled fashion, and clean passes hard to come by.

Victory did not take too long to score – not even five minutes – after a well placed Holly Furphy cross connected with White in the box, who helped it over the line.

After things started to settle down a bit, the game started to pan out in a similar way to the first half of Victory’s match against Perth last weekend.

Every time Victory went into attack they would have so many more players in useful positions to try and progress the attacking play than Canberra did when trying to do the same thing. Rachel Lowe in particular was playing a pivotal role in the centre of the park and playing as a pivot point that could open up the angles for Victory.

However, as little chances that Canberra was having in comparison to the home side, the visitors did eventually make the most of one of them and level up proceedings. After a good pass into the box from Hayley Taylor-Young, the ball bounced around several times and off several different players before eventually deflecting off Sasaki and into the back of the net.

Sasaki’s goal really evened up proceedings, with Canberra improving its tightness of defending, particularly on the counter.

Grove was doing a lot of running for the visitors from right back and was almost playing a wing back-esque role with how high into attack she was getting, while the likes of Sienna Dale were doing a lot of the grunt work through the middle and setting up the attacking chances alongside the likes of Taylor-Young.

Neither side was able to add to their score before the half time whistle, but it did leave the match poised for a potentially very interesting second half.

The second half started in a very different way to the first half, with a lot calmer ball movement and very even possession between the sides.

Both sides had a number of closer chances early in the second half, but Grove took it upon herself to make one of these chances work, beautifully curling a shot from outside the box into the diagonal top corner of the net to give Canberra the lead.

Despite the scoreline it was in fact Victory who continued to pepper the goals as the half progressed, but as hard as they tried the Victory attackers just could not get past Sally James and the Canberra defence.

Canberra extended its lead even further with just over 10 minutes to go when a well placed cross bounced awkwardly off a retreating Morrison and past Courtney Newbon and into the Victory goal.

Even with the increased margin to make up, the Victory did not stop trying to claw at least one goal back, but the Canberra defence held strong and ensured their side took home the full three points.

Teams: MELBOURNE VICTORY (3-4-1-2): Newbon, Jančevski, Morrison, Maher, Bunge, McMeeken, Sakalis, Pollicina, Lowe, White, Furphy. Substitutes: Ray, O’Grady, Pickett, Curtis, Techera, Woodward.

Scorers: White 4‘

CANBERRA UNITED (3-5-2): James, Anton, Aulicino, Grove, Robers, Taylor-Young, Dale, Bertolissio, Gordon, Sasaki, Heyman. Substitutes: Majstorovic, Wardlow, Hawkins, Stanic-Floody, Christopherson, Malone.

Goals: Sasaki 22’, Grove 55’, Morrison 77’ (OG)

Referee: Rachael Mitchenson.

Attendance: 782.

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Sofia Sakalis, Victory’s in-form forward

By Kieran Yap 5/12/25

Above: Sofia Sakalis breaks free from Julia Sardo of Perth Glory. Photo: Adrian Geremia for Impetus.

Melbourne Victory rediscovered their best football in the 3-0 win over Perth Glory, and with a goal and an assist, Sofia Sakalis was central to that win. The playmaker spoke to the media ahead of Round 6.

Sofia Sakalis has started the A-League season in form. After limited game time in 2024/25, the Melbourne Victory forward has every match of the current season and has been one of her team’s best performers.

Against her old side in Round Five, Sakalis scored Victory’s second  after attacking a Holly Furphy cross at full pace and register her first goal at the club. 

“It’s really good to be on the pitch and alongside the girls week in week out,” Sakalis told the media. 

“Obviously it’s a really strong team, so last season it was a little bit harder to break in but this season I’ve been given an opportunity so it’s been a really good chance to grab it and see what I can do with it.”

Victory is the Melbourne locals third A-League Women club, after debuting for Melbourne City at the age of 15, she became a regular for Perth Glory over two seasons. 

A move to Victory brought her home, but with Victory on a long undefeated run, it was difficult to break into the team. Sakalis’s off-season was don’t at Box Hill United where she was able to work on the aspects of her game that Jeff Hopkins needed, but also lifted the NPLW Championship and was selected for Australia’s successful U23 side at the ASEAN Championships.

“I knew that I needed to get game minutes in the off-season and just kind of focus on the areas that I touched on with Jeff.

“I really honed in on that and then having a good NPL season helped me come in confident and fit as well as going away with the 23’s as well.

All of that together set me up well to come into pre-season and fight for my spot.”

Sakalis is a quick, creative forward with an eye for goal. At Box Hill, she formed part of a duet of 10’s with new Victory arrival Rhianna Pollicina, but had been deployed on the left of attack in the A-League Women. 

Melbourne coach Jeff Hopkins is an obvious admirer of the 23 year old, but wanted her to work on being more direct with the ball, both in dribbling and passing.

“She’s a very very talented player,” said Hopkins, “very technical, but last year that’s what I wanted from her.

“To be honest, she was unlucky last year as well . We were playing some great football, we went on that unbeaten in and players were playing really well ahead of her.”

Sakalis said that she also spent much of the NPLW season working on her defensive attributes. 

“As an attacker, there’s always some defensive attributes that they want you to improve on.

“That was something, in the off season that I drilled into my game.”

The 3-0 win against Glory saw Victory return to the top of the table (for now) but it was also their most convincing display of the season. 

After frustrating results against  Brisbane Roar and Wellington, it looked like things were clicking into place over 90 dominant minutes.  

Sakalis emphasised that it was still very early in the season, but the performance was encouraging for the team. 

“This Perth game really brought everything together, after the Wellington game we looked inwards and  reflected and came together as a group, I think that really showed against Perth.

“We were very relentless and kind of showed what we’re about as a team and hopefully will set a good foundation going forwards.”

After Kennedy White opened the scoring, Sakalis doubled the lead and then teed up Pollicina for a third. 

That  combination has been forged over two seasons together at Box Hill United. Where they played some highly entertaining football that culminated in the club’s first NPLW trophy. 

“It’s obviously been good that I’ve been able to play with her in the off season so we’ve been able to build that chemistry” Sakalis said of her connection with Pollicina. 

“It’s really nice that it’s translated into ALW games.

“A player of that calibre,it’s just inevitable she’s going to make an impact at any club she’s at.

“Just to have her at the club is really special and I really enjoy playing with her week in week out.”

Although she had played across the country and lifted trophies in Bundoora and Vietnam over the last six months, Sakalis is happy to be playing for the club she supported as a child wearing Marco Rojas on her back. 

“Its very special, Melbourne’s my home it always has been.

“Football’s a bit of a roller coaster journey. Sometimes you do have to love away from home and that was a great experience for me.

“Melbourne Victory was a club that I also supported from a very young age. I would always come to the games and wear my jersey. 

“To be back to playing at home and getting minutes is really good and special.”

Melbourne Victory host Canberra United at The Home of The Matildas at 7pm local time. 

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‘They’re coming to our place’- Melbourne Victory prepared to host dangerous Canberra United

By Kieran Yap 4/12/25

Above: Melbourne Victory celebrate a goal against Perth Glory. Photo: Adrian Geremia

Melbourne Victory coach Jeff Hopkins spoke to the media ahead of the Round Five meeting with Canberra United,

Despite a four day turnaround, Melbourne Victory are prepared to host Canberra United on Friday evening. Having defeated Perth Glory on Sunday and Claudia Bunge fresh off a battle with Sam Kerr and Hayley Raso on Tuesday night, Victory coach Jeff Hopkins is optimistc about the star defender’s availability.

“She’s pretty amazing,” Hopkins told the media.

“And she has been in the past (with) backing up from international duty.

“We’ll see what she’s like and make a decision from there.”

In Bunge’s absence, Victory opted for Laura Pickett to partner Kayla Morrison at centre back. The pair were helped by an outstanding performance from Zoe McMeeken and a typically controlling Grace Maher display.

Victory’s defensive stocks were further enhanced with the return of Taylor Ray. The midfielder made her first appearance for her new club and her first A-League Women minutes since she won the Grand Final last season.

“She’s fine to play more minutes if needed,” Hopkins said of the highly rated recruit.

“Obviously now for her it’s about getting back in the side.

“And for the player in the side to make it as hard as they possibly can for her by carrying on the performances close to where they were last week or better.”

Ray’s availability gives Hopkins a problem any coach would be envious of. The trio of Maher, Rhianna Pollicina and Rachel Lowe have connected instantly, and he insists that he could “easily” find a system and fits both Maher and Ray into the starting XI.

“It becomes a nice problem for me to have that I’ll have 20 player pushing really hard  every day in training and the players that perform on the weekend and best through the week get to play.”

The 3-0 win against Perth Glory was perhaps Victory’s most convincing game of the season so far. Kennedy White found the net for a fifth time in four games and Pollicina scored her second of the season, with Sofia Sakalis adding and assist while bringing up her first goal for the club.

Despite not scoring for the second half, Victory continued to create chances through various routes and players. The half time lead also gave Hopkins the chance to rest players and manage his team, while getting minutes into the likes of Ray and Jessica Young.

“That’s probably the thing that pleased me the most,” Hopkins reflected

“How we were able to create chances, how we were able to be patient when we needed to be patient, go forward quickly when they did allow us to do that, and the way we mixed out game up which never really allowed Perth Glory to get into any kind of rhythm or work out how we were trying to do things.”

A player who had a large influence on Victory’s dominance was Maher. The A-League Women fan favourite returned to Victory having played two seasons at centre back for Western United and an outstanding campaign in midfield with The Essendon Royals in Victoria’s NPLW.

In her second stint at the club, she appears to be an almost complete player and ideally suited to Victory’s method of controlling games.

Maher can deliver killer passes in the final third, start attacks from deep or intercept opposition movement in the midfield. While last season saw Sara D’appolonia as the ball winner and Alana Murphy as the deep playmaker, Maher is both at once.

Against Perth, she was influential despite being carefully marked. In last weekend’s post-match press conference, Hopkins said that Perth’s pressing game determined how Maher would involve herself.

“We weren’t sure how they were going to press us, we had a number of ways of trying to attract the pressure a little bit. One of those was to play alongside Kayla… to drop into the back four.

“The way that they were trying to press us dictated her position a little bit.”

Looking ahead to Friday evening, Canberra present another challenge. But Hopkins believes that Victory are well prepared to meet it.

“Canberra always give us a tough game. they’re a really organized side with the coach that they’ve got and they’re very competitive. They play quite a physical game and they’re reasonably direct and obviously with Michelle Heyman at one end, they’ve got a player in her that can finish things off.”

“They’re a decent side this year, but we’ve had a look at them and we’ve worked defensively on things that we can do, but most of todays session was about us and how we can break them down.

“They’re coming to our place. We’re going to make it really hard for them. We’re not going to let them settle, we’re going to be at them right from the word go.”

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Impetus A-League Women Awards: November 2025

3/12/25

Above: Michelle Heyman (white shirt) in action for Canberra United at Wellington Phoenix this season. Photo: Ryan Imray for Impetus.

Impetus’ team of writers and photographers covering the A-League Women this season have joined together to select their Player, Young Player (aged 21 and under), and Head Coach of the Month for November. Here are our choices in each category.

Player of the Month:
Michelle Heyman (Canberra United)

Michelle Heyman has scored twice and assisted in two others over the first month of football.

In terms of pure involvement she still sits behind Melbourne Victory’s Kennedy White, but has still been one of the most entertaining and dangerous strikers in the league so far.

Even at 37 years old, there remains no obvious defensive match for Heyman. She still has her  acceleration and pace, and her instincts around goal have seen her make a big impact for a new-look Canberra United with less attacking threats than last year.

Even without being flanked by Aideen Keane or Maja Markovski and with Canberra still learning their best on-field combinations, Heyman’s standards and output have not dropped.

She might seem an obvious choice for Player of the Month, but as a fandom, we should not be getting used to how consistent and effective she is.

New season, same story. Michelle Heyman remains elite.

Young Player of the Month:
Pia Vlok (Wellington Phoenix)
Above: Pia Vlok (yellow and black stripes) in action during Wellington Phoenix’s impressive victory over Melbourne Victory. Photo: Ryan Imray for Impetus..

Pia Vlok made her professional debut coming off the bench in the 85th minute in the Wellington Phoenix’s opening game of the season, a 1-1 draw against Canberra United. Whilst only on the pitch for a short spell, she made a significant impact which earned her a starting debut a week later against Newcastle Jets.

Four minutes into that game, she got her first assist of her professional career when playing in Brooke Nunn who opened the scoring in the match.

She had a historic impact was in the 1-0 win against Melbourne Victory just before the international break. Vlok started the game and played her first full 90 minutes, scoring the winning goal. Not only was it the 17-year-old’s first of her professional career, but it earned her the record of being the club’s youngest ever goal scorer as well as ensuring that the Phoenix gain their first ever win over Victory at the eighth time of asking and maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

Head Coach of the Month:
Stephen Hoyle (Newcastle Jets)
Above: Stephen Hoyle imparts information during Newcastle Jets trip to Wellington Phoenix. Photo: Ryan Imray for Impetus.

It’s been an outstanding start to Stephen Hoyle’s tenure at Newcastle Jets with the English-born head coach guiding his side to second place on the ladder after an unbeaten first three matches.

After an excellent opening round win at McKellar Park, the Jets came away from Wellington after the bye with a point before defeating Western Sydney Wanderers last time out in their first home match in front of just under 1,500 fans.

Whilst Hoyle is a native of the Yorkshire mining town of Barnsley, a location that is also home to Perth Glory captain Izzy Dalton, the Jets boss has been coaching in New Zealand for the last decade, including a spell with the Football Ferns’ U17’s side.

Hoyle has injected real confidence and tactical nous into his side this season, shown with an ability to gain points at two tough away venues. This, on top of their big fervent home support gives the Jets a real shout at pushing towards Finals come the end of the season.

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Kerr: “It’s been really enjoyable” playing for Montemurro

Above: Sam Kerr and Joe Montemurro post-match. Image: Football Australia.

By Genevieve Henry (2/12/25).

After beating New Zealand 2-0 at Coopers Stadium in Adelaide, Matildas captain Sam Kerr and head coach Joe Montemurro addressed the media in their post-match press conference. 

Goals to Alanna Kennedy and Hayley Raso secured the win in what was a free-flowing and dominating victory for Australia. 

“I think sometimes we lose sight of why we play football, and tonight just felt like one of those moments where I could just really go out there and enjoy it and have fun.” Kerr said.

It’s a feeling that stems from understanding Montemurro’s football ideology. “You can see that he wants to play football,” Kerr said. “It’s been all based on football, all based on the little details,  and I think we’ve really needed that as a team. We all had an idea when he came in of what his philosophy was and it’s been really enjoyable and fun.”

Montemurro’s philosophy is all about proactive possession and ball control. “We got caught a couple of times on the break and we’re obviously defending one-on-one in these situations, so a lot of people sort of pulling their hair out on that sort of stuff, but I like it because it’s one of those risk-reward sort of scenarios,” Montemurro said. “The more we’re proactive, risk, keep the ball high and keep it where we want it and control it, you are going to find one or two moments where you’re going to get caught. Not a problem for me, and that’s what I’m proud of this team.”

“This team’s really just developed this idea of wanting to be in control with the ball and finding these little movements in these little spaces to break teams down.” Montemurro said.

While some players excel in those tight spaces that New Zealand forced the Matildas to play in, Kerr expressed her apprehension with that playing style. “I would have liked to have played longer, but it wasn’t to be,” Kerr said, after being taken out after playing the first 45. “The game was a little bit crowded, it’s not my strength to play in small areas, but when I did play in small areas I thought I did quite well.”

But, even when Kerr isn’t at her best, she’s still world-class. Her work in the first half in hold-up and link-up play was understated but critical in maintaining attacking momentum and creative flow.

“I think she brings this level of confidence within the group. Everyone just feels a little bit taller, stronger, better having Sam around,” Montemurro said. “She’s an amazing leader – and she’s a bit cheeky too, which is good. She’s (brings) a little bit of banter in the group, which I think is the most important thing. But as I said, obviously the footballing quality is a second to none.”

“To have her back playing at her best is what I think she really wants – and just being back on the park I think is what she really wants,” Montemurro said regarding Kerr. “I’m so proud to have her as part of this lead-up into the tournament and part of these last couple of camps.”

One player who stepped up and made the most of her opportunity was Alanna Kennedy. Kennedy played in a more advanced role and opened the scoring after finding herself out of the lineup due to red card suspension, as well as struggling for playing time at the club level. “I’ve always liked her as a more proactive defender or a player in front of the back…she has all the passing weapons. She can (play) long, short, interfere, combine and all those sorts of areas,” Montemurro said. “She just now needs to find the rhythm and confidence to do it now because she’s playing sporadically at London City.”

Even with six changes to the starting lineup, Australia still put out a side that could be considered their strongest lineup. This depth is still in development, but strengthening the side in obvious ways.

“I think we’ve now elevated the squad holistically in a big way where we’ve got a good group of players that can fit into all different areas and can come into all different situations, understanding the style and the ideas we’re trying to put in,” Montemurro said. “I’m in a privileged position to say, ‘Okay, well, I want to play a little bit more proactive in these areas or I want to be able to protect these areas.’ I can do it because we have the quality of players to do it.”

The internal competition in the squad should bring out the best in the starters and squad players – a mix becoming more and more interchangeable. The next couple of months will be critical in individual development and fitness. And while the narrative swirling has been about the Asian Cup approaching too fast for Australia’s coaching changes, Montemurro has a different perspective.

“I wish the tournament was next week, I’ll be honest with you,” Montemurro said. “The buzz that’s been in the camp this week, the energy, the football, the growth – and just the players themselves, they’re just an amazing group. They really are.”

“We’re all excited from the success of the World Cup…It was special and something that we’ll never, ever forget,” Kerr said. “We’re kind of hoping that we can replicate that feeling at the Asian Cup.”

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Two goals to seal two wins as Tillies beat Kiwis again

AUSTRALIA 2-0 NEW ZEALAND

By Emma Burke (2/12/25)

Above: Alanna Kennedy (facing) and Sam Kerr celebrate after the former scored the opening goal tonight against New Zealand. Photo: Football Australia

The Matildas have defeated New Zealand 2-0 in Adelaide to wrap up their year, thanks to goals from Alanna Kennedy and Hayley Raso. The side has now played their last game for 2025 and their last game before the 2026 Asian Cup.

Kennedy made her return to the starting line-up and to the scoresheet, playing an experimental role in defence, after having served her one-game suspension for receiving a red card against England.

Kennedy was not the only change made to the squad, as head coach Joe Montemurro named Sam Kerr to start for the first time at home in 763 days, as well as including Clare Wheeler, Kaitlyn Torpey, Clare Hunt, and Teagan Micah.

The Matildas’ second goal of the evening came late in the second half, when Raso pounced on a deflection from a Kiwi defender, giving her the time and space to put an impressive curling shot into the net, her second goal in as many games.

While Australia spent the majority of the game in control of the ball, maintaining 70% of possession, New Zealand still managed to find opportunities for scoring, requiring keeper Micah to make multiple saves throughout the course of the night.

One of the Ferns’ best chances came from their retiring captain Annalie Longo, who worked her way into the box before sending her defender reeling and getting off a shot.

The conclusion of this game leaves Australia with only 88 days left to prepare for their first international tournament under Montemurro, where the Matildas will open the event against the Philippines on the 1st of March.

Teams: AUSTRALIA (4-3-3): Micah, Hunt, Wheeler, Catley, Torpey, Foord, Van Egmond, Kennedy, Raso, Kerr, Carpenter. Substitutes: Arnold, Lincoln, Cooney-Cross, Gorry, Heatley, Heyman, Johnson, McNamara, Nevin, Rule, Sayer, Siemsen, Yallop

Scorers: Kennedy 19’, Raso 70’

NEW ZEALAND (4-3-3): Santos, Taylor, Bunge, Bott, Moore, Clegg, Rennie, Riley, Foster, Kitching, Wisnewski. Substitutes: Esson, Leat, Anton, Brown, Chance, Green, Hahn, Hassett, Jackson, Longo, Pijnenburg, Wall

Attendance: 15,097 at Coopers Stadium

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Ellie Carpenter and Joe Montemurro on their “best performance” and gearing up to go again

Above: Joe Montemurro and Ellie Carpenter at Coopers Stadium. Image: Football Australia.

By Genevieve Henry (1/12/25).

Matildas defender Ellie Carpenter and head coach Joe Montemurro talked to the press ahead of their second friendly match against New Zealand in the December international window. The match will take place Tuesday night at Coopers Stadium in Adelaide.

After putting 5 past the Ferns in a rampaging performance, the Matildas are not expecting things to be quite as easy the second go around.

“(New Zealand) definitely wouldn’t be happy with their performance, and I think they can expect a totally different New Zealand tomorrow evening,” Carpenter said. “We’re prepared for that. We’re going to play our own game, our own style of play, and bring it to them again.”

Friday’s five-star showing was arguably the Matildas’ best performance under Montemurro. The beginnings of a football identity began to show to great effect. While the quality of the opponent certainly dictated how easy it was to exert their own control and style in the match, the Matildas are on the right track for the Asian Cup.

“Do we need some more continuity? Absolutely. How we’re going to find that continuity when they all go away tomorrow night might be difficult, but I think the thing that I’ve said from day one is to get some key messages on what we believe is the best way to approach games. We saw a good base the other night,” Montemurro said. “We’ve been building an idea of football because we believe it’s what we need to go ahead, not just to the Asian Cup, but as a nation, and also as an elite national team.”

Montemurro discussed an underdog complex he has seen in the side – an idea he regards as incorrect and possibly destructive.

“We think that we’re so far behind, or we’ve got this inferiority complex to the rest of the world in football, but we’ve got coaches all around the world. We’ve got top players all around the world at top clubs. So we must be doing something right, and we should be celebrating that.”

“I think what we’ve done in the last couple of months has been important,” Carpenter said. “The recent game was probably our best performance in a long while, really gelling and playing the style of play we want to play.”

Montemurro said Sam Kerr, who missed out on the first game in the series, is training well. “We just want her to be like every player. We assess their situation and we assess where they’re at. We ask the players also how they’re feeling because they know their bodies better sometimes.”

While Kerr’s progress at Chelsea has been coming in waves, Carpenter is thriving at her new club – especially with her compatriot. “It’s lovely to be in the same club team as her and also building those connections on the pitch. That’s only going to help us here, obviously, with the national team.”

“I’m really enjoying my football at the moment. It’s a new challenge for me, a new environment,” Carpenter said. “I’m just playing freely and I have a lot of confidence at the moment. I’m really happy with how I’m performing.” 

Carpenter, who was named player of the match and scored her 5th goal for Australia on Friday, has been a key player for Australia for around a decade already, but her influence is growing stronger as she gains more leadership and confidence. She is one of few players who will feel as though they have a cemented spot in the Asian Cup squad. For the rest, this match against New Zealand is all-important, as well as their club form for the next few months.

“Tomorrow is another good opportunity, just before the Asian Cup, because we all go back to our clubs tomorrow night, and we come back together in March. So tomorrow night’s really important.”

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