Western United Liberty A-League Women Head Coach Mark Torcaso is ensuring the team doesn’t get too far ahead of itself after the Round 1 win against Melbourne Victory.
An early second half goal from Jessica McDonald secured the famous win in the Club’s first ever match in the competition, but Torcaso is mindful there is plenty more football to be played.
READ MORE: ALW Match Report: Western United 1-0 Melbourne Victory
“It’s a statement, but it’s still the first game so we’ve just got to take each game, each week at a time,” he said.
In front of a packed crowd at a very windy City Vista Pavilion and Sports Field, United played perfectly to the conditions to keep a clean sheet.
Going against the wind in the first half, United limited Victory’s impact in the final third and Torcaso said that set the tone for the win.
“The conditions were obviously really difficult, so it was always going to be pretty even. We did extremely well in the first half going into the wind, and the girls had a lot of faith in the second half going with the wind,” he said.
Matildas midfielder Chloe Logarzo came off the bench in the second half and showed her quality immediately to the delight of her head coach.
The No.6 was a threat from dead ball situations and saw plenty of action in midfield as she continues to build back to full fitness.
“She was excellent, Chloe’s a true professional,” Torcaso said.
“All the girls wanted to go and sing the song after the game and she goes ‘no, we have to stay out and do our running’. She’s just a standards-type player and just creates that quality.”
Torcaso also brought on Aleksandra Sinclair for her Liberty A-League debut and hailed her journey to the professional game.
“I probably had a little bit of a tear when she came over and hugged me and said ‘we’re here’. It’s an amazing opportunity for Aleks, it just shows that there’s never an ending for a footballer,” he said.
“It’s good to see the group of players that have stepped up from NPL level to show that they are quality and they are good enough for this. It’s exciting for them to have the opportunity to play against the champions and pick up the three points.”
Next up for Western United will be a first ever away trip with a long flight to Wellington in store ahead of a meeting with the Phoenix on Saturday November 26.
