New and familiar faces make up Head Coach Leah Blayney’s 25-player squad selected for the CommBank Matildas training camp and two-match international series with Aotearoa New Zealand later this month.
Australia faces a trip to Wellington to tackle fellow FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™ qualifiers on Thursday, 11 July 2024 (12.30pm AEST) at Jerry Collins Stadium and Sunday, 14 July 2024 (12.30pm AEST) in a closed doors match at New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport (NZCIS).
Blayney will utilise the international friendlies to ready her charges for their Group A campaign against Colombia, Mexico and Cameroon for the youth championships running between 31 August to 22 September 2024.
Defender Alexia Apostolakis and forward Kahli Johnson lead the returning contingent of 17 players who participated in the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup™ earlier in March 2024.
Forward Emilia Murray is welcomed back to the U20 Women’s National Team fold after a long-term injury ruled her out of recent contention. While midfielder Avaani Prakash has been rewarded with a recall following consistent display in the NSW National Premier Leagues for Bulls FC Academy and during recent Talent Development Scheme matches.
Novocastrian Emma Dundas receives her first selection at the U20 age group as the result of strong performances that saw her recognised as the CommBank Junior Matildas Player of the Tournament at the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup Indonesia 2024™.
Extensive nationwide scouting over the last three months has resulted in the first CommBank Young Matildas’ selection for Ella Buchanan, Rosie Curtis, Tanaye Morris and Alicia Woods.
Leah Blayney said: “As we head into our next phase of preparation, it presents a real window to assess and evaluate our team progress as we focus in on the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2024™.”
“A significant portion of this squad has been with us throughout this most current cycle. They have a demonstrated ability to perform on the international stage and are currently doing everything in their control to be selected for the upcoming Youth World Cup.
“Since the conclusion of the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup, we have also been diligently identifying potential new players while bolstering the players in our Future Matildas programs domestically and abroad.
“Excitingly, we’ve been able to hold four Talent Development Scheme games nationwide, which assisted in spotting players with attributes that fit our playing style like Ella Buchanan, Rosie Curtis, Tanaye Morris and Alicia Woods. Each new player brings a different dimension to the existing squad providing technical diversity and individual qualities within the playing group.
“With two quality matches against Aotearoa New Zealand, our technical team is eager to witness greater fluency in our play as a unit. We’ll be looking to build on existing chemistry as well as further encourage our players to continue to play attacking positive entertaining football. I want them to continue to play brave, positive and entertaining football,” Blayney concluded.
