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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Three goals for three points as Victory dispose of Glory

Melbourne Victory 3-0 Perth Glory

by Alyce Collett (30/11/25)

Above: Melbourne Victory celebrate after scoring against Perth Glory. Photo: Anita Milas

Melbourne Victory have for now jumped to the top of the A League Women’s ladder after a comfortable 3-0 win over Perth Glory. The result was won and done by half time, with first half goals from Kennedy White, Sofia Sakalis and Rhianna Pollicina getting the job done for the home side.

Initial proceedings were greeted with weather that was trying provide as much chaos as possible, and two sides that were sharing possession on pretty even terms.

For the home side it was Zoe McMeeken and Holly Furphy who were teaming up to create some promising attacking movement down the right wing, while for Glory it was Grace Johnston and Ella Lincoln doing the same thing coming back the other way.

As the early franticness started to settle the Victory started to bank some really dangerous chances, although none of them ultimately converting into goals. Furphy, White and even Alana Jancevski – who was playing in a wing back like role – were starting to sneak their way around Perth’s defensive line and get into some dangerous positions to score.

That was until about 20 minutes in, when Victory finally put one of those dangerous chances into the back of the net. White connected on the end of a well placed McMeeken cross and perfectly guided her shot into the top corner.

Perth Glory almost countered with a goal of their own seconds after the restart, but Rola Badawiya’s shot narrowly missed.

As hard as players like Johnston and Lincoln were working down the left wing for Glory, the Glory did not have anywhere near as many players in useful positions for a dangerous attack as Victory did when they went attacking up the other end.

Victory doubled their lead about 15 minutes after their first goal with a goal that was a very similar style to their first goal. However, this time it was Sakalis getting on the end of a well placed cross from Furphy.

Victory’s third goal came minutes from half time when Policina let a shot rip from outside the box that Glory keeper Alyssa Dall’Oste had little chance of stopping.

As half time drew closer Victory did not relent in their attacking pressure, but they were unable to add any more goals to their tally before the half time whistle blew.

As the skies darkened over Melbourne’s northern suburbs, there was an almost eery calm feeling to start the second half. Both sides shared a fairly even amount of possession and both sides were happy to take their time with it passing it around amongst themselves.

Both sides had moments of promise in attack and a few narrow misses, but ultimately nothing that resulted in a change to the score line.

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

Scorers: White 21’, Sakalis 36’, Policina 42’

PERTH GLORY (4-3-3): Dall’Oste, Johnston, McKenna, Hollar, Phonsongkham, Chinnama, Badawiya, Sardo, Lincoln, Wainwright, Zogg. Substitutes: Skinner, Anderson, Cassidy, Trew, Brooking, Westaway.

Referee: Mikayla Ryan.

Attendance: 802.

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Matildas brush past Football Ferns in Gosford freindly

Australia 5-0 New Zealand

By Kieran Yap 28/11/25

Above: Kyra Cooney-Cross celebrates her stunning goal. Photo: Football Australia

Five different goalscorers gave Australia a comprehensive victory against New Zealand as Joe Montemurro’s Asian Cup preparations began to hit stride. Amy Sayer and Hayley Raso set the tone with two first half goals, before Ellie Carpenter, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Katrina Gorry added more in the second.

Australia’s starting lineup was experienced but slightly different than what fans have been used to. Steph Catley partnered Winonah Heatley in the centre of defence. The duo’s passing ability and pace saw them preferred over Clare Hunt and in place of the suspended Alana Kennedy. Courtney Nevin got the nod at left back.

The midfield was made up of Gorry, Cooney-Cross and Emily van Egmond. The trio seemed to rotate positions , but nominally, van Egmond was the deepest, with Gorry in a more attacking role.

With Sam Kerr sidelined as a precaution following a rumored calf concern, Amy Sayer started on the left of the attack, with Caitlin Foord as the Nine and Raso in her familiar right flank position.

Australia began confidently and aggressively. Foord’s strength and vision released Raso, but her chipped effort was off target. The Matildas had the lead soon after when Gorry’s cleverly disguised pass found Sayer completely unmarked in the 18-yard box. She took her chance well to open the scoring.

Raso made amends for the earlier miss with a composed finish after being gifted possession by the New Zealand defence. She still had plenty to do and curled her effort in from the edge of the area.

New Zealand looked nervy in defence, and hesitant in midfield, but when they got the ball into attack, they posed a threat. Indiah- Paige Riley looked dangerous and creative on the right of a three-player attack.

Australia remained dominant in possession, but chances were harder to come by for the rest of the first half. Gorry’s pass into the box missed both attackers, while Carpener blazed over from close range and Sayer hit the woodwork.

Australia persisted, and in the second 45, they were rewarded.

It took until the 70’th minute but the floodgates eventually opened. Carpenter fired home following another defensive turnover, and almost immediately from the kickoff, Cooney-Cross replicated her Marta Award nominated effort against Germany to extend the lead to four.

The tireless and creative Gorry scored a much deserved goal in added time to make it five and even a missed penalty from captain Catley could not take the gloss off the result.

5-0 is a near perfect score and a much-needed confidence boost heading into the Asian Cup, but it was not a perfect performance.

Although Australia passed the ball well through midfield and found good combinations and executed some promising counter-attacks, the majority of goals still came through defensive calamities.

Often, the final pass was slightly misplaced or the cross was misdirected. Although they scored five, this could have been a much more emphatic scoreline. Australia look more solid with Catley at centre back, but her pinpoint crossing was sorely missed. It leaves Ellie Carpenter as the most dangerous crossing player in the team with Foord more likely to cut the ball back from the byline and Raso more dangerous when shooting.

Getting Nevin into overlapping crossing position could be something they seek to improve as they work in better delivery into the box.

These are minor issues, but ones that should be resolved by the time the tournament arrives. This was still an overwhelmingly positive display from The Matildas. The starters justified their places and the substitutes made an impact with Wheeler helping set up the final goal and Holly McNamara earning the penalty.

They have one match left before the Asian Cup when they take on New Zealand again on Tuesday night. Excitement is already building around the tournament, and it has seemingly returned to this squad again.

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

Scorers: Sayer 13′ Raso 24′ Carpenter 70′ Cooney-Cross 71′ Gorry 92′

New Zealand (4-3-3): Leat, Taylor, Bott, Longo, Anton, Riley, Hahn, Foster, Kitching, Brown, Jackson. Substitutes: Essen, Santos, Bunge, Chance, Clegg, Green, Hassett, Moore, Pijenburg, Rennie, Wall, Wisnewski.

Referee: Yujeong Kim

Attendance: 20.619 at Polytec Stadium

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Leaders outline expectations ahead of Trans Tasman test

Above: Joe Montemurro and Emily Van Egmond speaking to the media. Credit: Football Australia.

By Ella McShane (28/11/25)

With the Asian Cup fast approaching, the upcoming fixtures against New Zealand represent the Matildas final opportunity to impress, both as a team and as a collective, before the 23-player squad is announced for next March’s home soil tournament.

Speaking to the media ahead of tonight’s opener of the two match series, midfielder and vice captain Emily Van Egmond emphasised the stakes, noting “it is important for the team to put on two good performances, to push into good stead for [the Asian Cup]”.

“Anyone who gets the opportunity to come into camp is always looking to compete for a spot”

Recent camps have introduced a fresh wave of talent, that have given a new identity to the squad’s “junior members.”

Van Egmond said the transition is a natural part of sport, adding that “it’s important that we have pathways here in Australia.” She stressed that selection ultimately comes down to quality: “You pick the best players you can to represent your country and get the best result you can.”

Scepticism around head coach Joe Montemurro’s limited time with the Matildas has also been raised when considering what this international window means heading into the tournament.

Van Egmond highlighted the importance of adaptability as a professional athlete in an ever changing landscape, and backed the man in charge’s style of play; “It’s an enjoyable…I think it’s been a good refresh for us and the girls are really buying-in to what we’re trying to do…it’s an exciting brand of football”

Looking to the opposition, Van Egmond stated that the Matildas will be expecting nothing less than a “tough game. We obviously have that rivalry.”

“We are always looking to get the win, but for us I think it’s more of a complete performance. We’ve done some really good things in training this week to build.”

Anticipating the Asian Cup, Montemurro said New Zealand will provide ideal preparation He expects the opposition to challenge their approach noting that New Zealand “will press high and will put us under pressure. We expect a lot of teams in the Asian Cup to come out and try to get us first.”

Montemurro was candid when asked about his plans for the starting XI stating that “I haven’t even thought about [it] if I am honest with you.” Montemurro contextualised his delay in planning as intentional as a way of managing player loading and travel.

Sam Kerr continues to reacclimatise to the national team on a “premised plan” and is “tracking well,” according to Montemurro. Meanwhile, Mary Fowler’s return has been earmarked for the new year, as she continues her recovery from the ACL injury sustained earlier this year.

Australia v New Zealand kicks off at 7:30pm local time tonight at Polytec Stadium in Gosford and will be available to  stream on Paramount +.

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Perth Glory’s Stephen Peters and Georgia Cassidy preview Melbourne Victory match-up. 

Above: Stephen Peters speaking to the media. Credit: Perth Glory.

By Ella McShane (27/11/25)

Perth Glory’s Stephen Peters and Georgia Cassidy preview what will is very likely to be a tough afternoon for the girls in purple against Melbourne Victory in round 5 of the Ninja A-League at the Home of the Matildas this upcoming Sunday. 

It is undeniable that Glory’s season has been off to a slower start than what was initially anticipated, having conceded nine goals over the latest three rounds of the season thus far. Peters emphasised that “the manner in which we are conceding [goals], we have to fix that, quickly.”

As for the opposition, Victory head into this match following their first loss at the hands of Wellington Pheonix last weekend. Peters warned that facing a recently defeated Victory is “never going to be a good thing, you have to be ready to go to war. I think Jeff [Hopkins] will have them ‘chewing glass’ so to speak.”

Young gun Cassidy revealed that Peters’ main message to the group was “to win our battles”. She elaborated noting that “every time we verse Victory they’ve been on the front foot…we need to come away and win every duel.” 

Above: Georgia Cassidy speaking to the media. Credit: Perth Glory.

To deepen the west side’s difficulties, skipper Isobel Dalton was ruled out of last week’s fixture against Canberra United as a result of a knee injury on MD -1. Peters analysed the loss of Dalton’s presence, stating “I don’t think we adapted to that as well as we possibly could have”. Dalton is predicted to be sidelined for an additional week. 

Despite the season being off to less than an ideal start, Peters highlighted that there have been positive moments that have “showed [Glory’s] characteristics and principles that [Glory] want to play with” and remained hopeful for the weekend that if Glory are prepared that they can “really get into the tussle with them.”

Round 5 of the Ninja A-League will take place at 16:00 AEDT and available live and free on Channel 10 and 10Play. In the UK the game will be shown live on TNT Sports, kicking off at 5am.

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