Western United is gearing up for a mouth-watering top of the table clash against Sydney FC in the Liberty A-League Women on Saturday night.
Match Details
Liberty A-League Women Round 19
Sydney FC vs Western United
Saturday, 9 March
Kick-off: 7:00pm AEDT
Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
Broadcast: The match will be broadcast live and free on 10Play, and on Paramount+
Western United Team News
Kat Smith will welcome key players back into the side with Jaclyn Sawicki and Tyla Jay Vlajnic available for selection again.
The pair missed out on last week’s win over Canberra United having only arrived back in Melbourne from international commitments in the early hours of the morning on matchday.
They are part of an unchanged 20-player extended squad for the trip to Sydney as Smith continues to utilise the depth of talent at her disposal.
Emma Robers and Aimee Medwin made strong impacts in the starting XI last week and will be fighting to keep their places, while Catherine Zimmerman will hope to build on her Western United debut.
Western United squad: 1. Alyssa DALL’OSTE (gk), 2. Stacey PAPADOPOULOS, 4. Jaclyn SAWICKI, 5. Aimee MEDWIN, 6. Chloe LOGARZO, 7. Kiara DE DOMIZIO, 9. Hannah KEANE, 11. Emma ROBERS, 12. Lucy RICHARDS, 13. Avaani PRAKASH, 14. Natasha DAKIC, 15. Adriana TARANTO, 16. Melissa TARANTO, 18. Grace MAHER, 19. Tyla Jay VLAJNIC, 20. Keiwa HIEDA, 22. Alana CERNE, 24. Julia SARDO, 31. Kathrine LARSEN (gk), 34. Catherine ZIMMERMAN
Last time out
Western United needed as little as 15 minutes to stamp its authority against Canberra United last time out, eventually running out 4-2 winners.
Watch the highlights from Western United’s electric performance against Canberra last time out
A blistering start to the match saw Hannah Keane score after 15 seconds – the Club’s fastest ever goal – on the way to becoming the first Western United player to score a Liberty A-League hat-trick. Chloe Logarzo added the other, putting the pair level on nine goals for the season.
The Opponent
Sydney FC have been a permanent fixture at the top of the Liberty A-League for a number of years, and that has remained true in the 2023/24 campaign.
Despite losing a number of key players to overseas opportunities, Ante Juric’s side continue to perform at a high level with a number of talented youngsters stepping up to the plate.
With comfortably the league’s staunchest defence, Sydney provide one of the toughest assignments in the competition.
The speed and talent of Cortnee Vine and Princess Ibini in attack is matched by the quality of Charlotte McLean and Jada Whyman at the back, requiring Western United to be at its very best to take anything out of the game.
Key Matchup: Aimee Medwin vs Cortnee Vine
One of the most intriguing battles from Western United’s 2-0 win over Sydney FC in January 2023 was Aimee Medwin for United coming up against Sydney’s Cortnee Vine.
The two speedsters engaged in a thrilling battle on the wing, and Medwin ultimately won out on the day as Vine was substituted in the 56th minute and United went on to secure a 2-0 win.
That battle could recommence on Saturday night, with Medwin having sat out of the following three meetings between United and Sydney FC.
Starting her first Liberty A-League match in over a year after her ACL injury, Medwin was excellent against Canberra last week after she had provided a wonderful assist the week before against Wellington Phoenix.
Her pace and strength in defence make her incredibly difficult to beat, but her explosiveness going forward will also give her direct opponent a headache having to track her back.
Medwin will face stern opposition in Vine, of course, with the 25-year-old rocketing to stardom with the Matildas and remaining of the Liberty A-League’s most dangerous attacking players.
Vine scored the winner the last time the two sides met and if Medwin can succeed in stifling her threat in this game, she could help set her team up to claim the win.
Western United Player to Watch: Hannah Keane
To put it simply, Keane is on fire right now for Western United. Plundering seven goals in her last four games, the American striker has returned to her league-best form from last season at the perfect time for the Green and Black.
Keane’s historic hat-trick last week punctuated her current run in front of goal, and her history against Sydney FC suggests that the goals might well continue on Saturday.
The No.9 scored both goals in that aforementioned 2-0 win last year and followed that up with another in her long list of historic moments, netting the winner last season’s semi-final.
Keane wasn’t fully fit for the return game against Sydney but will be eager to get back to work against one of her favourite opponents in the Liberty A-League.
Words from Kat Smith
On if there is anything particular behind the team’s strong goal-scoring output in recent games
“I think it’s just the clarity and the vision we set from the start of my tenure, around where we want to see the ball in what areas.
“The players have now got that confidence, whether it’s the physical capabilities, the technical astuteness to deliver in their moments. That was all part of a building process, and these are the rewards for all the hard work that’s happened over the last couple of months.”
On the approach in taking on Sydney FC
“They’re in an interesting stage given some of their omissions through international representation. We’re well prepared, so we know potential line-ups, but other than that we focus on ourselves.
“We feel we’ve got enough here to nullify their strengths and obviously hit their vulnerabilities with some of the strengths that we can leverage as well.”
