WA pair Lowry, Aquino called up for Matildas

West Australian duo Morgan Aquino and Hana Lowry are celebrating after being called up for the CommBank Matildas for the first time.

The pair have been named in an extended 36-player squad to take on Brazil and Chinese Taipei in the final FIFA Women’s international window of 2024.

Goalkeeper Aquino and midfielder Lowry both came through the Football West Hyundai NTC for Girls program before moving on to Perth Glory, with Aquino also playing at Northern Redbacks.

Aquino, who began as a junior at Dianella Soccer Club, now plays in America for DC Power in the USL Super League. Lowry, whose first club was Cockburn City, this year moved to A-League side Sydney FC.

Football West Manager ‑ Female Football & Advocacy Tash Rigby, a former teammate of the two players at Perth Glory, said: “Congratulations to both on their call-up, it is fantastic to have two West Australian players in the Matildas squad. They are both incredible girls and this is a great reward for all the hard work they have put in.

“It is also a thrill for the coaches in the NTC program and elsewhere who have worked with Hana and Morgan. We wish them all the best.”

Their selection comes in the week that Perth Rectangular Stadium (HBF Park) and Perth Stadium (Optus Stadium) were named as two of the venues for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026.

With the November/December window falling out of alignment of the fixtures schedule of several European competitions, and the strategic continuation of the Ninja A-League Women 2024/25 season, an extended squad has been selected to take part in the upcoming four matches.

Australia and Brazil will kick-off the action at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Thursday, 28 November followed by a second clash on Sunday, 1 December at Gold Coast’s Cbus Super Stadium. The CommBank Matildas will then head to Melbourne for a return to AAMI Park on Wednesday, 4 December to host Chinese Taipei before closing out the year in Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday, 7 December.

CommBank Matildas’ interim head coach Tom Sermanni has selected an exciting combination of internationally and locally based players with a wide variety of experience levels. The window will see several milestones celebrated along with potential debuts for local talent.

In her final international window for the CommBank Matildas, defender Clare Polkinghorne headlines the squad alongside a host of familiar faces. Polkinghorne is set to make her last appearances for Australia, with a celebration match set for 28 November in her home city of Brisbane.

Vice-captain Emily van Egmond is also on the verge of a significant milestone with the midfielder set to become only the fourth Australian footballer to reach 150 appearances for the nation. 

The four-game window provides Sermanni with an opportunity to evaluate an extended number of players.

The roster has a strong local flavour with 16 players currently plying their trade the Ninja A-League Women competition. Experienced CommBank Matildas’ trio Alex Chidiac (Melbourne Victory FC), Emily Gielnik (Melbourne Victory FC) and Chloe Logarzo (Western United FC) have earned a recall off the back of their impressive starts to the 2024/25 season.

Early season form has also seen reward for five players who received their first senior national team call up including Aquino and Lowry, plus Leah Davidson (Melbourne City FC), Isabel Gomez (Central Coast Mariners FC) and Natasha Prior (Newcastle Jets FC).

Forward and Gold Coast native, Hayley Raso (Tottenham Hotspur WFC), returns to the squad after a successful recovery from a hamstring injury while Brisbane’s Teagan Micah (Liverpool WFC) completed her rehabilitation of an ankle injury to also make the trip to Australia. Defender Kaitlyn Torpey (San Diego Wave FC) has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury.

“Traditionally the first camps at the beginning of a new cycle is exciting time as it presents an opening to evaluate players that have previously had limited or no opportunities to showcase their capabilities,” Sermanni said.

“With their stylistic differences, Brazil and Chinese Taipei are opponents that allow us to continue the work of identifying new talent and building depth in the senior roster that will strengthen the foundations for the Asian Cup, World Cup and Olympic major tournaments set for the next four years.

“Players have earned their selection in this window through their performances and application in the last October camp and, with the Ninja A-League Women competition now underway, their club performances in Australia and abroad.”

“We are pleased that we are able to reward players for their club form. The coaching staff and I are eager to see which players will take this chance to showcase their qualities and step up to demonstrate they are of international calibre,” Sermanni concluded.

Tickets are currently on sale with full ticketing available at matildas.com.au/tickets.   

Fans will be able to watch the CommBank Matildas’ series against both Brazil and Chinese Taipei live and free on 10 and 10 Bold and live on 10 Play and Paramount+ thanks to Football Australia’s broadcast partner, Paramount Australia. 

COMMBANK MATILDAS | NOV / DEC 2024 INTERNATIONALS

CommBank Matildas v Brazil
Date: Thursday, 28 November 2024
Kick-off: 8:00pm local / 9:00pm AEDT
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets

CommBank Matildas v Brazil
Date: Sunday, 1 December 2024
Kick-off: 6:35pm local / 7:35pm AEDT
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets

CommBank Matildas v Chinese Taipei
Date: Wednesday, 4 December 2024
Kick-off: 8.00pm AEDT
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets

CommBank Matildas v Chinese Taipei
Date: Saturday, 7 December 2024
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEDT
Venue: GMHBA Stadium, Geelong
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets

COMMBANK MATILDAS | FINAL SQUAD | NOV / DEC 2024