Pre-Match
The Matildas squad has been hit by injury ahead of Sunday's Beijing Olympic qualifier against Chinese Taipei with striker Jenna Tristram and midfielder Danielle Small forced to withdraw from the 18-strong touring party.
Coffs Harbour local Tristram injured her knee at training the day after last Saturday's match against Hong Kong and scans yesterday revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament ruling the 20-year-old out of contention for September's FIFA Women's World Cup in China.
Sydney-based Small is also suffering from a knee injury though less serious with the veteran of 38-appearances for Australia set to be available for June's crucial home and away qualifying matches against DPR (North) Korea. Both players featured as substitutes in Saturday's 15-0 rout of Hong Kong in the opening Group B match at the BCU International Stadium in Coffs Harbour.
Coach Tom Sermanni is already without the services of key players in midfielder Sally Shipard (foot) and striker Caitlin Munoz (knee) though both are expected to also be available for the June matches.
Returning to the squad for the first time since November's Peace Cup in Korea is pacy striker Lisa DeVanna who has spent the last few months playing in England with Doncaster Belles. Defender Clare Polkinghorne has also been added to the squad traveling to Chinese Taipei.
"It is obviously disruptive on a number of levels for the squad to have these injuries but on the positive side we now have good depth and are more prepared for such eventualities," said Matildas Coach Tom Sermanni.
"It is of course highly unfortunate for Jenna and the timing of the injury makes it even harder to accept given she has just made her national team debut in her home town. Jenna has the makings of a really good player with genuine speed, a nose for goal and she is also starting to adapt to the rigours of what is required physically at senior level. Jenna has a good attitude and I have full confidence she will return and stake a strong claim for selection once again."
Match Report
In-form striker Kate Gill and her strike partner Sarah Walsh have led the Matildas to its second successive big win in the Olympic Games qualifiers, this time a 10-0 victory over Chinese Taipei in Taipei.
Gill, who scored five goals in her last two internationals, could not quite match that effort, but still managed a hat-trick of goals, while Walsh bagged a hat-trick of her own in the rout. Jo Peters grabbed two goals, while Cheryl Salisbury and Jo Burgess rounded off the scoring late in the match.
After eclipsing Hong Kong 15-0 in Coffs Harbour last week, the girls were expecting a tougher challenge from Chinese Taipei. However it soon became apparent that the Matildas were in no mood to go easy on their hosts and the five goals in each half, could quite easily have been a few more, if a few guilt edged chances were not wasted.
It didn't take long for the Matildas to start where they left off last week - just 6 minutes in fact - with Gill lashing home an angled shot after receiving a ball over the top from Collette McCallum.
It was 2-0 in the 18th minute, when Walsh netted her first from close range, after going around the keeper. Ten minutes later, Gill had her second and the Matildas third, tapping home from close range from Walsh's low cross from the right.
Walsh then had her second in the 32nd minute, when she gathered a Heather Garriock cross from the left and buried the shot past the keeper from 8 metres out. Jo Peters rounded out the first half scoring in the 42nd minute, after she was released by McCallum, and blasted her shot through the keeper from a tight angle.
The carnage didn't stop after the break, with Walsh grabbing her hat-trick with a simple tap-in from right on the goal line, after the keeper had dropped a low cross from Garriock.
Quick goals from Peters (57') and Gill (59') kept the scoreline moving rapidly, as a real blowout looked on the cards. Gill's goal was her third successive international game where she has scored at least a hat-trick.
The scoring however stopped for a little while, as the Matildas took their foot off the pedal, although Salisbury made it 9-0 in the 81st minute, with an excellent goal, while Burgess added the team's 10th two minutes later, slamming home after yet another cross from Garriock.
With two wins and a +25 goal difference from their opening two games, the Matildas can go into June's two matches against group favourite DPR Korea with a good deal of confidence.
These two games will in effect decide which team from this group will represent the AFC at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
DPR defeated Hong Kong 14-0 in the other group match played today.