Round 3 of the 2020/21 Westfield W-League campaign will be remembered for the stunning goals and remarkable results served up over four entertaining games of top quality football.
Melbourne Victory stunned the league with a scintillating 6-0 win over rivals Melbourne City in the standout fixture of Round 3, while Adelaide United got off the mark with a tightly contested win over Perth Glory.
Sydney FC mounted a gutsy comeback to overcome Newcastle Jets on the road and two fantastic goals highlighted an entertaining draw between Canberra United and Brisbane Roar at Dolphin Stadium in the remaining two fixtures of the round.
But which players stood out from the rest to make the Team of the Week? Read on to find out!
FORMATION: 4-3-3
Goalkeeper
Sian Fryer-McLaren – Adelaide United
Fryer-McLaren’s six saves against Perth Glory helped Adelaide United retain a clean sheet and ultimately notch their first win of the 2020/21 campaign with a late goal to Emily Condon.
Saves to deny Glory forwards Gemma Craine and Katarina Jukic highlighted Fryer-McLaren’s performance in between the sticks for the Reds, as the 29-year-old recovered from shipping four goals against Canberra United in Round 1 to keep a hard-fought clean sheet in an impressive Reds victory.
Defence
Ally Green – Sydney FC
Ally Green’s busy shift down Sydney’s left flank caused issues in both attack and defence for Newcastle, as the Sky Blues ground out a hard-fought win from a trailing position.
Green’s game-high seven crosses produced scoring opportunities for the visitors, the best of which falling to Courtnee Vine who put a threatening opportunity to waste with just minutes on the clock.
In defence Green played with authority, winning five of her six attempted tackles and an impressive 12 of 14 duels.
Matilda McNamara – Adelaide United
No clean sheet is possible for any goalkeeper without the work of the defensive line ahead of them, and Matilda McNmara’s shift against Perth in Adelaide’s backline earns her a place in the Team of the Week for Round 3.
McNamara created two chances from her game-high 74 passes, won five out of eight duels and had a 100% tackle success rate to go along with four clearances to go along with the clean sheet earned by her and the Reds defensive line.
Kayla Morrison – Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory’s 6-0 win will be remembered for the ruthless display of force shown by their red-hot attack but no comprehensive team performance is complete without a clean sheet, and Kayla Morrison’s presence in defence went a long way to securing exactly that for Jeff Hopkins’ side.
Morrison won four of six tackles and eight of her 12 duels, intercepting the ball twice and clearing it once as she kept City’s attack largely under wraps.
Angela Beard – Melbourne Victory
Angela Beard’s stellar showing in Victory’s landmark win over City was defined by her excellent performance in both defence and attack.
Beard’s biggest impact came in the first half with the game still well and truly on the line; an interception in midfield and pass to Lisa De Vanna sent Victory on the attack and Beard sniffed an opportunity, getting into the box to receive the ball back and lash the shot which led to Melina Ayres tapping home from close range.
Three created chances, three interceptions, two clearances, a 100% tackle rate and a team-high 66 touches; Beard did it all on a memorable Melbourne Derby performance.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514572001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6221621568001
Midfield
Teresa Polias – Sydney FC
Teresa Polias was a class above in Sydney’s engine room against a gutsy Newcastle Jets outfit on Friday afternoon.
Taking more touches than any player throughout the game (106), Polias played a game-high 79 passes at an accuracy of 86.1%, creating two chances and providing four crosses for Sydney’s strike force to attack.
Polias lost just one duel throughout the contest, winning eight of nine, and made five interceptions in midfield which helped the Sky Blues gain control of the game and ultimately wear the Jets down to seal a 2-1 comeback victory.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514572001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6221165086001
Kyra Cooney-Cross – Melbourne Victory
Kyra Cooney-Cross scored Victory’s sixth and final goal of their Melbourne Derby rout of Melbourne City, and it was the perfect reward for the Young Westfield Matildas prospect after a brilliant shift in Victory’s midfield.
With every touch and pass of the ball Cooney-Cross showed the class and precision which has made the midfielder one of the brightest prospects of the next generation of Australian talent.
Along with her late goal Cooney-Cross created three chances, passed at a team-high success rate of 84%, took five shots and won six of 13 clearances in a bright afternoon at CB Smith Reserve.
Grace Maher – Canberra United
One phenomenal moment of individual brilliance from Grace Maher helped Canberra United earn a point against a Brisbane Roar outfit with the lion’s share of possession and chances on goal throughout the contest.
Maher’s strike from the centre circle to bring Canberra level in the second half will contend for Goal of the Season honours; it was a sign of the exciting talent and confidence the talented 21-year-old will bring to the Green Machine this season.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514572001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6220892325001
Attack
Lisa De Vanna – Melbourne Victory
Lisa De Vanna’s best-on-ground performance against Melbourne City was a sight to behold on Sunday afternoon.
The Westfield Matildas legend tore holes in City’s system with her strong running, constant forward pressure and creative spark which helped Victory power their way to a statement 6-0 win.
An early assist for Melina Ayres got De Vanna’s afternoon off to a bright start and the 36-year-old took over from that moment on, highlighting her performance with a simply superb solo run and finish which put Victory three goals ahead and sunk City’s aspirations of a comeback.
https://twitter.com/victorywleague/status/1348487683706740740
Melina Ayres – Melbourne Victory
Melina Ayres finished her afternoon out against City with a goal and assist, but could just have easily bagged a hat-trick given the amount of chances which fell her way throughout the game.
The Victory striker put her side two goals ahead in the first half, hit the woodwork from distance in the second before setting Amy Jackson up for her side’s fourth goal of the game with a creative through ball.
Maria Jos̩ Rojas РAdelaide United
Maria José Rojas produced an electric performance for the Reds, with quick feet and trickery at the forefront of her eye-catching display.
Rojas won her side the penalty which led to Condon’s match-winning goal with just ten minutes to play in the contest.
The Chilean international created two chances and fired both of her own shots on target, throwing herself into a game-high 18 duels and going close to scoring one of the goals of the season with an impressive display of guile and running power.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514572001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6221491062001
