Melbourne City’s record-breaking season has helped create numerous interesting statistical facts.
We take a look back at just some of the numbers that formed part of the 2015/16 Westfield W-League regular season.
12 – Melbourne City created Westfield W-League perfection in their maiden season by becoming the first club to win all of their regular season matches. Their next milestone on their radar is to remain undefeated throughout the finals series and match Canberra United’s memorable achievements in 2011/12 when the team from the nation’s capital won nine and drew three of their 12 matches, before winning both play-off encounters. City’s perfect dozen broke Sydney FC’s record of nine straight wins set in 2009-2010, but Canberra’s undefeated record of 19 remains a distant target.
38 – Melbourne Cit nabbed an incredible 38 goals but still fell one goal shy of Perth Glory’s benchmark set last year. Canberra were the next best goalscorers with 26 this season, but City’s strength in that area is evidenced by boasting three of the league’s four top goalscorers – Larissa Crummer, Kim Little and Marianna Tabain
60 per cent – Midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo announced her arrival in style with a two-goal performance in Perth Glory’s Round 5 win over Brisbane Roar. Despite playing just eight matches, the former U-20 Women’s World Cup winner scored six goals in the team’s cumulative tally of ten. There was also an impressive return for another American, Abby Dahlkemper, who netted five of Adelaide’s United’s 18 goals despite spending much of her time at the back end of the field.
9 – While some teams set impressive benchmarks on the scoresheet, there was little joy for Newcastle Jets in that area. The Jets defied expectations to enjoy a strong season, but their tally of just nine goals was the lowest in the league. The Jets ultimately fell just two points short of ending a seven-year finals drought but, had they done so, they would have been the lowest scoring semi-finalists after Melbourne Victory, who scored 12 in ten games during the 2010/11 season.
93 – Sydney FC’s Renee Rollason started the season as the competition’s most experienced player with 83 appearances. However a rare injury for the Sky Blues’ stalwart allowed Canberra United’s Ellie Brush to lay claim to that honour now with 93 matches to her name, just clear of Brisbane Roar skipper Clare Polkinghorne and Melbourne City’s Marianna Tabain (both 89 matches).
