All to play for at National Youth Championships as CommBank Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson watches on
Both Gold Fields WA State Teams are well placed after Day Two of the National Youth Championships for Girls in Coffs Harbour, which saw CommBank Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson attend.
The Gold Fields WA State Girls U14s are joint top of group B with Capital Football and NSW Country in group B, all on two wins and one defeat.
The WA U16s sit third on their table.
The U14s suffered their first loss of the tournament in the morning, going down 3-0 to Capital.
But in their second game of the day, they won a thriller 3-2 over NSW Country as Macey McCready scored twice in the opening five minutes before Theodora Mouithys got what proved to be the winner in the 35th minute. McCready's brace took her tally to six goals in three matches.
The U16s also began Day Two with a defeat, losing their group B encounter with NSW Country 2-1. Clara Hoarau got WA's goal.
And just like the U14s, Sam Geddes' side recovered in the afternoon to beat Tasmania 2-0 thanks to goals from Daisy Groenwald-Shield and Mia Britton.
WA's U16s face Queensland White on Wednesday morning, followed by Victoria White in the afternoon. The U14s take on Tasmania.
The tournament kicked off in Coffs Harbour on Monday with more than 350 of the best female under-14s and 16s players from across Australia taking part.
A cooler day greeted the players at the C.ex Coffs International Stadium with showers on and off during the day before heavy showers in the evening.
In the under-14s tournament, NSW Metro continued their perfect start to the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Queensland.
Tiana Fuller scored twice while Liana Luong also scored to keep NSW Metro top of group A with three wins from as many matches.
Northern NSW moved into equal second alongside Victoria with a 4-0 win over South Australia with a hat-trick from Sophie Johnson and a goal from Mackenzie Preston-Poole. Cas Wright’s team then held Victoria to a goalless draw.
Capital Football followed up their 3-0 win over WA by beating Tasmania 2-0.
In the under-16s tournament, Queensland Maroon climbed to the top of group A with a 2-1 win over Northern NSW and a 2-0 victory over Capital Football thanks to Ashlee Hummels and Grace Kuilamu.
Queensland White are also top of group B alongside NSW Country thanks to their 2-2 draw with Tasmania.
Northern NSW Football Talented Player and Coach Development Manager Ryan Doidge said the National Youth Championships offered a number of player development benefits.
“This tournament is a great opportunity for the best players from not only our region but all the regions to test themselves against the best players from across Australia,” Doidge said.
“It’s also a chance for players to put themselves up in front of Football Australia technical staff and show their potential to make their way into the Matildas youth programs.”
The tournament returned this year after two years away due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Play continues tomorrow with day three action, with the tournament to conclude on Friday.
The 2022 National Youth Championships for Boys will be played next week.