IT was a match in which Sam Kerr became Australia's greatest ever goal scorer, but as the Matildas posted an 18-0 victory over Indonesia on Friday there were also a pair of stunning strikes from Ellie Carpenter.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Since the days when she was first catching the attention of talent scouts playing in Western colours at Bathurst's Proctor Park, Carpenter has developed into not only one of Australia's finest defenders, but of the world's best female fullbacks.
Her huge work ethic and counter-attacking runs have set up countless goals for her team-mates, but it is not often she gets on the scoresheet herself.
However, as the Matildas opened their Asian Cup campaign in dominant fashion against Indonesia in Mumbai, Carpenter got in on the act.
Just her second international goal for the Matildas came in the 34th minute when bursting into the box and firing home a bullet over the head of the Indonesian goalkeeper.
Her second was even better. From a corner kick play in the 49th minute, Carpenter took possession some 12 metres outside the box. She then curled the ball into the top left corner of the net.
It meant that after scoring just one goal in her first 54 appearances for the Matildas, she had added another two in the space of 15 minutes.
"It felt nice to get on the scoresheet, I've been working on finishing and the final third, so I'm just stoked about my goals. Like I said, we're continuing this journey together and can't wait for our next game," she said.
While delighted with her double Carpenter, who also had two goal assists amongst her 81 touches for the match, is thinking bigger picture.
She wants to go on and win the Asian Cup with her team-mates, who include Orange native Tameka Yallop.
"It was very important for us to get this win in our opening game, we knew we wanted to hit the ground running and let the Asian Cup know what we were about with goals and clinical finishes, so we're very happy about that result," she said.
"Obviously next is our game against Philippines, we know they're a good team and we're looking forward to the challenge. We have to stay focussed and take the next step up from this game today, but we're ready and we're prepared.
"We want to win it and remain the number one team in Asia. That's our ambition, but it only comes around every four years so we're excited.
"For me, being a part of the Matildas, we haven't won what we would have liked to win in the past, but definitely one thing that I would love to do with this team is win the Asian Cup."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.westernadvocate.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News