Melbourne City goalkeeper Teagan Micah is off to Tokyo after a testing but rewarding Westfield W-League campaign.
Micah was on the losing side in six of her eight Westfield W-League appearances in 2020/21 – but that didn’t stop Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson from selecting the 23-year-old as one of two goalkeepers in the 18-player squad bound for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
It’s a sign of the esteem the emerging goalkeeper is held in by the new Matildas boss, who has granted Micah the opportunity to learn and grow alongside experienced stopper Lydia Williams in the Matildas squad preparing for the Women’s Football Tournament in July.
Read on for a recap of Micah’s most memorable performances in an outstanding individual season at City!
Teagan Micah 2020/21 stats
- Games played: 8
- Starts: 8
- Saves: 33
- Successful save percentage: 64.7%
Round 1: A clean sheet clinched against relentless Roar
Teagan Micah faced 30 shots on goal in City’s first game of the 2020/21 Westfield W-League campaign, against Brisbane Roar in Round 1.
Eight of those were struck on target by a Roar attack including Emily Gielnik, Mariel Hecher and Tameka Yallop, but none of those attempts managed to pierce Micah’s guard.
The City ‘keeper made eight saves on that afternoon at Moreton Daily Stadium to ensure the defending Champions began the 2020/21 season with a positive result in an entertaining clash which somehow finished 0-0.
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https://players.brightcove.net/5519514572001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6218746797001
Round 4: A solitary win for Micah in 2020/21
The only three-point performance Micah enjoyed in the 2020/21 Westfield W-League season came in a Round 4 Melbourne Derby against the eventual Champions Melbourne Victory.
Micah conceded two goals, but made five saves from seven shots struck on target by the Victory strike force to notch a save percentage of 71.4% – Micah’s third-highest for the 2020/21 season.
Melina Ayres, MelindaJ Barbieri and Amy Jackson were all denied throughout the game by Micah as City scored three of the five Melbourne Derby goals down the opposite end to come out 3-2 victors.
Round 6: A slender defeat despite Micah’s valiant display
Micah eclipsed her eight saves in Round 1 when facing Brisbane for the second time in 2020/21 to record a personal season-high of nine saves in an individual game in a 3-2 loss to the Roar at AAMI Park.
Brisbane forward Hecher decided the game with a stunner scored with 15 minutes to play. Despite conceding three times on the day, Micah kept 75% of her shots faced (nine of 12) out in what was her second-highest save percentage for a game in the 2020/21 season.
One of Micah’s nine saves came in stunning fashion to deny Gielnik a first-half rocket destined for the top-right corner of goal. The fingertip stop was adjudged Save of the Week at the conclusion of Round 6.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514572001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6227879970001
Post-season: Micah uses Westfield W-League momentum to soar to greater heights
After the 2020/21 Westfield W-League season, Micah signed on with Norwegian side IL Sandviken for the upcoming Toppserien season. The goalkeeper was named Player of the Year at City’s annual awards night, and received top honours as the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year at the Dolan Warren Awards.
Gustavsson handed Micah her Matildas debut against Sweden on June June 15, 2021, in which she played a starring role throughout the 0-0 draw. She capped off an unforgettable month with selection in Gustavsson’s squad bound for Japan, where Micah will look to put all the class and resilience shown throughout the 2020/21 Westfield W-League campaign on display to help Australia fight for medals in Tokyo.
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