Western United stars Hillary Beall and Hannah Keane have been recognised for their outstanding seasons with selection in the Austraffic PFA A-League Women Team of the Season.
Keane was recognised after being the league’s dominant striker this season, winning the Golden Boot with 13 goals for the campaign.
At the other end, Beall emerged as one of the competition’s leading goalkeepers in her first year as a professional No.1 and was noted for her performances.
Both players expressed their pride in being selected but heaped praise on their teammates for their overall contribution to a successful season.
“It’s a great honour to be selected, but the award is a huge team achievement because without them, there would be no goals. I’m grateful for the recognition, but it was a team effort,” Keane said.
“I am very honoured to be nominated by my peers for this award. Honestly, credit to my teammates as I would not be able to do anything without them,” Beall added.
“Coming down to this league I did not expect these things, but this experience will be remembered for a lifetime.”
Beall made an immediate impact on Western United’s inaugural Liberty A-League Women team upon arriving in the West.
The young American impressed teammates and staff alike with her work ethic and leadership, being selected as one of the team’s inaugural vice-captains.
With Jaclyn Sawicki injured through the early part of the season, Beall led the team out in its first ever fixture against Melbourne Victory and did so on numerous other occasions throughout the campaign.
On loan from Racing Louisville in the NWSL, Beall made her presence felt in the biggest games with clean sheets against Victory and Sydney FC and a huge penalty save against Melbourne City. She also won the Liberty A-League Player of the Month award in both January and February.
Keane made a similarly prompt contribution for United, netting her first two goals in the second game of the season against Wellington Phoenix.
But it was after the new year when the No.9 truly exploded, firing seven goals in six matches in the month of January to guide United forward at the top of the table.
While a difficult period followed for the Green and Black, Keane still scored crucial goals against Melbourne City and Western Sydney Wanderers to help the side secure a second-placed finish.
In total, Keane scored a brace in four different matches, including in January’s top of the table clash against Sydney and in a 5-0 win over Canberra United in the same month.
The PFA Team of the Season recognises only regular season performances, but both players continued their form into the first week of the Finals Series with Keane scoring the winner and Beall producing a number of vital saves in United’s 1-0 Semi-Final win over Sydney FC.
Both players will be continuing their preparations for Western United’s historic Grand Final against Sydney on Sunday 30 April, with that the most coveted honour for the pair.
