Both Ellie Brush and Lydia Williams are hoping for the ideal start this weekend as Canberra United kicks off their Westfield W-League campaign with an away fixture against Perth Glory at 6PR Stadium on Sunday.
Both Ellie Brush and Lydia Williams are hoping for the ideal start this weekend as Canberra United kicks off their Westfield W-League campaign with an away fixture against Perth Glory at 6PR Stadium on Sunday.
The jointly appointed team leaders are looking forward to finally getting into the thick of the action following an intensive build-up that has seen Head Coach Ray Junna putting the team through some extensive fitness exercises as well as forging a team bond that should stand the squad in good stead come Sunday afternoon.
“There-s a real buzz about the training field over the past week especially with the return of the Matildas- players which has given everyone a lift,” Ellie Brush said. “We are really excited about this weekend-s game and want to come away with a win.”
“We are aiming to play an attacking formation that we have been working on, with an offensive looking side, with the aim that attack will be the best form of defence. It was a great help to have a hit-out and get out a few cobwebs out against the Stingrays, especially with the new players in the team, in order to get an understanding before the season gets underway. It-s been invaluable to do that.”
Brush has scored seven goals in two seasons for United from her position at centre-back and is keen to add to her tally in Season Three.
“There-s plenty of attacking talent in the team this season but I-ll certainly be looking for some goals myself! It-s always nice to get a few so hopefully I can get on the score sheet again this season,” she commented.
Goalkeeper Lydia Williams meanwhile has finally found her feet after an exhausting tour overseas with the Westfield Matildas. Having been selected for the squad that travelled to South Korea for the Peace Queen Cup and the subsequent European friendly with Germany, Williams has only just arrived back in the Capital. However, the Canberra custodian is confident that preparations are progressing nicely.
“Our preparation has been going well. Caitlin (Munoz), Sally (Shipard) and myself have just returned from our overseas tour but have fitted back into Australian time pretty well and all-s looking good on that front. Everyone is looking sharp,” Williams confirmed.
In a short ten-game season the onus is on racking up points early to give the team the best possible base for a finals assault, something that isn-t lost on Williams.
“We definitely need to get the ball rolling and get some early results under our belts, especially in the opening three matches, and that would be a real boost for us and put us on the front foot. We don-t want to be over-confident as we don-t know what the other teams have in terms of recruitment yet from other countries. Last year you could predict who was going to be the top teams whilst this year it-s anyone-s game. “
Canberra United starts their Westfield W-League season with an away trip to Perth Glory on Sunday. Kick-off is at 3pm local time, 6pm EST. You can follow the match through our LIVE SCORING section on this website.
