Simon celebrates 50th cap with win over Vietnam

The Westfield Matildas made forward Kyah Simon's 50th international cap one to remember as they defeated Vietnam 4-0 behind closed doors at Valentine Sports Park in Park Lea.

All four goals came from different sources, Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord finding the back of the net inside the opening half an hour before Kyah Simon, in her 50th international appearance and Michelle Heyman struck within a minute of each other early in the second half.

The two teams will meet again on Thursday night (21 May) at Jubilee Oval in Kogarah in the Westfield Matildas’ official farewell match before the squad departs for Canada on Saturday.

After a period of dominance, the Westfield Matildas broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Catley unleashed a cracking drive into the top corner. Foord then slotted home clinically to double the lead after a fine build up.

The Westfield Matildas number nine would have thought she had a second on the stroke of half time only for the Vietnam keeper to pull off a superb save from close range.

But in the space of 60 seconds soon after the resumption for the second half, Simon found space in the penalty area to score and then Heyman pounced on a mistake by the Vietnam keeper to put the ball into an empty net.

“Today was another step in the process, it was good to get another hit out under our belts not only to get more match time but an indication of the things we still need to work on,” Westfield Matildas Head Coach Alen Stajcic said.

“While there was some good football in patches, the next three weeks is vital for making sure we’re ready for our first match of the World Cup against the USA on June 8.”

With the Westfield Matildas playing their final match on home soil before heading to the Women’s World Cup, Stajcic urged people to turn out in big numbers to Jubilee Oval for the team’s farewell match on Thursday night.

“After such a long preparation, this is the final chance for the public to come out, watch the girls in action and get behind them before they leave for Canada on Saturday to represent Australia on the world stage,” said Stajcic.

“The players have worked extremely hard up to this point and there is a real belief among the group that we can do well, so it would be great to see a big crowd for the farewell game.”

The farewell match will be played at Jubilee Oval in Kogarah on Thursday night (kick-off 6.30pm AEST). Tickets are available at http://matildas.footballaustralia.com.au/tickets/408

Match Details
Westfield Matildas 4
(Catley 17’, Foord 29’, Simon 47’, Heyman 48’)
Vietnam 0

Westfield Matildas starting line-up: Lydia Williams (gk) (Melissa Barbieri (gk)), Larissa Crummer (Lisa De Vanna), Clare Polkinghorne (c), Servet Uzunlar (Hayley Raso 61’), Steph Catley (Elise Kellond-Knight 46’), Caitlin Foord (Ashleigh Sykes), Alanna Kennedy, Teresa Polias, Kyah Simon, Nicola Bolger, Michelle Heyman (Leena Khamis 61’)

Substitutes not used: Mackenzie Arnold (gk), Tameka Butt, Laura Alleway, Katrina Gorry, Emily van Egmond, Samantha Kerr
Yellow cards: Simon 45+1’
Red cards: Nil

All matches from the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015™ will be live on SBS ONE, SBS HD and online, with the only exceptions being the concurrent group stage matches which will be streamed live online at www.sbs.com.au/theworldgame.