The Westfield Matildas defeated host team China 1-0 today in the fourth of five matches of the 2012 London Olympics qualification tournament in Jinan, China.
The Westfield Matildas defeated host team China 1-0 today in the fourth of five matches of the 2012 London Olympics qualification tournament in Jinan, China.
A 62nd-minute strike by Emily Van Egmond secured the match for the team, which now sits in third place behind Japan and DPR Korea, respectively.
Sustained attacks by the Chinese team at the beginning and end of the match tested the Westfield Matildas- mettle, but a succession of strong saves by goalkeeper Lydia Williams and defenders Laura Alleway and Kim Carroll kept the Chinese team scoreless.
Kyah Simon had the Westfield Matildas- best chances of the first half, but her shots veered wide of the goal or were tipped over or gathered up by the Chinese goalkeeper.
Van Egmond tested the goalkeeper in the 36th, but it was her 62nd-minute strike that found the netting. She pounced on a rebounding ball in the box after Alleway-s shot had twice been denied by the crush of bodies between her and the goal mouth.
Westfield Matildas Head Coach Tom Sermanni was pleased with the team-s effort.
“I was really delighted with the way we bounced back,” Sermanni said. “It-s easy when you lose a couple of critical games to really fall away and to get into a situation where you-re waiting for the tournament to finish so you can go home. I was really pleased with how the players focused on the task tonight,” he said.
“After the first 15 minutes, I thought we were the better side and deserved to win,” he said. “During those opening minutes, the Chinese team were extremely dangerous. Once we settled down, we were able to eliminate a lot of their options.”
Sermanni said that the Westfield Matildas are looking to finish the tournament strongly.
“We always knew it was going to be tough. In reality, we-ve had two narrow losses,” Sermanni said.
“If we-ve got nine points and finished third, it-s a good finish to the tournament,” he said. “It will highlight that we are still on track with this team.”
The Westfield Matildas have one match left to play in their Olympic qualification tournament in Jinan, China. They will meet South Korea on 11 September.
In other matches, Japan drew with DPR Korea 1-1 and South Korea defeated Thailand 3-0.
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Westfield Matildas v China 2011 Olympic Qualifiers Australia 1 (Emily VAN EGMOND 62-) China 0 Thursday 8 September 2011 Jinan Olympics Sports Centre Overall record: P31: W5-D8-L18 Westfield Matildas line-up: Lydia WILLIAMS (gk), Servet UZUNLAR, Laura ALLEWAY, Kim CARROLL, Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, Aivi LUIK, Emily VAN EGMOND, Teigen ALLEN, Heather GARRIOCK (c), Michelle HEYMAN (4. Clare POLKINGHORNE 75-), Kyah SIMON (11. Lisa DE VANNA 65-) Substitutes not used: Melissa BARBIERI (gk), Tameka BUTT, Sally SHIPARD, Caitlin FOORD, Thea SLATYER, Collette MCCALLUM, Sarah WALSH
Yellow Cards: Nil Red cards: Nil