Western United will hope to continue its momentum in the Liberty A-League Women, going for an eighth straight win when it takes on Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday.
Match Details
Liberty A-League Women Round 10
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Western United
Saturday, 14 January
Kick-off: 3:00pm AEDT
Wanderers Football Park, Rooty Hill
Broadcast: The match will be broadcast live and free on 10Play, and on Paramount+
Team News
Mark Torcaso has named three big ins amongst an extended 20-player squad, including new signing Angie Beard who could be in line to debut for Western United.
Alongside Beard is captain Jaclyn Sawicki who makes her return from injury, and Chloe Logarzo is also back in contention after missing the last two matches.
Western United squad: 1. Alyssa DALL’OSTE (gk), 2. Stacey PAPADOPOULOS, 4. Jaclyn SAWICKI, 5. Aimee MEDWIN, 6. Chloe LOGARZO, 7. Francesca IERMANO, 8. Jessica McDONALD, 9. Hannah KEANE, 10. Kahli JOHNSON, 11. Emma ROBERS, 13. Danielle STEER, 14. Natasha DAKIC, 15. Adriana TARANTO, 18. Aleksandra SINCLAIR, 19. Tyla Jay VLAJNIC, 20. Sydney CUMMINGS, 21. Hillary BEALL (gk), 22. Alana CERNE, 23. Angie BEARD, 24. Julia SARDO
Last time out
Western United secured arguably its biggest win of the season so far, downing Sydney FC to claim top spot in the league on Wednesday evening.
READ MORE: ALW Match Report: Western United 2-0 Sydney FC
A first-half brace from Hannah Keane pushed the Green and Black over the line after a brilliant performance across the board.
The Opponent
Western Sydney Wanderers are on a high after a first win of the season last week, and a big one at that as they defeated Melbourne City 2-0.
That marked two matches unbeaten for the side after five losses to begin the season as the Wanderers begin to gel and seek to push up the table.
Torcaso will come up against close friend Kat Smith in the opposition dugout, with both coaches looking to get one up over the other.
Key Matchup: Hillary Beall vs Sheridan Gallagher
Boosted by consecutive clean sheets, Hillary Beall will be eager to make it a hat-trick on Saturday but will face the current deadliest finisher in the Liberty A-League.
Western Sydney’s Sheridan Gallagher leads the league in goals per shot with two of her five total shots for the season ending up in the back of the net.
Both of those goals have come in the last two games, so Beall will need to be sharp in goal to deny Gallagher any opportunities and work towards another shut out.
Player to Watch: Angie Beard
Beard’s return to domestic Australian football will be one to keep an eye on as she prepares to take to the pitch in the Green and Black for the first time.
United’s new No.23 adds significant quality and experience at the highest level into the team and will be one to watch against the Wanderers.
Whether she is ready to play from the start or comes off the bench, Beard will undoubtedly have a say on proceedings and her return to the Liberty A-League will be an intriguing one.
Words from Mark Torcaso
On the overall depth of the squad and having the headache of
“It’s great to have so many players available, but we have to make sure that we ek in, week out, we pick the best team for that game.
“I’m so confident, as is all of our staff, that every single player can fulfill a role, whichever week it is.”
On facing the challenge against the Wanderers and coaching against Kat Smith
“I’m really looking forward to catching up with Kat and seeing how she is progressing as a coach. I’ve got a lot of respect to Kat, we’ve worked together, coached with each other and coached against each other.
“Western Sydney will be a typical Kat Smith side. It’s going to be a really good challenge, I think they’re a very good side. We’re not going to take them lightly at all, just like we don’t take any team lightly in this competition.”
