The Australian U19 Women's Football Team, the Westfield Young Matildas, have continued their winning form on tour with a 3-0 win over the German U-19 Women's team in Varese, Italy yesterday.
An own goal midway through the first half gave the Westfield Young Matildas lead which was extended in the second half with goals from Kyah Simon and Nicola Bolger.
In hot and windy conditions, the match started evenly, with no real chances for either side early on. Germany started to get the better of proceedings from the 10th minute and put constant pressure on the Westfield Young Matildas defence who turned over the ball too easily on a number of occasions.
The Westfield young Matildas first opportunity arrived in the 22nd minute when Elise Kellond-Knight's dangerous cross was fumbled by German goalkeeper Almuth Schult who did well to regather the ball on her second attempt.
Germany went close to scoring a few minutes later with a header which went just wide of the post.
Around the half hour mark, the Westfield Young Matildas play started to improve and more chances were created. Kyah Simon hit two shots over the crossbar, from virtually the same spot, within a minute of each other, while Kellond-Knight saw her free kick attempt cleared away for a corner. It was from this resulting corner that the Westfield Young Matildas took the lead in the 37th minute.
Kellond-Knight's in-swinging corner saw Alesha Clifford challenge for the ball with Almuth Schult. The German goalkeeper failed to hold the ball and it bounced out of her hands, backwards, into the net.
Kyah Simon could have doubled her team's lead a minute later, when she had a one-on-one opportunity with Schult. Shult came off her line and dived low managing to get a hand to the ball as the Simon tried to round her.
Germany's best chances came late in the first half from free kicks, but Westfield Young Matildas goalkeeper Casey Dumont was up to the task and did well to cover a number of dangerous shots to keep her goal intact going into the break.
Two minutes into the second half, Simon continued to look dangerous when she had a shot well blocked by the German substitute keeper Ann-Katrin Berger.
Marianna Tabain almost capitalised in the 57th minute, with an attempt that took a slight deflection and skimmed over the bar.
Germany's had a chance to equalise 10 minutes later, when Dzsenifer Marozsan shot from near the penalty spot, but her attempt went just wide of the post.
A minute later Kyah Simon also had a shot that went wide after Ashleigh Sykes had played her through, but the striker didn't have to wait long for her reward, when Tabain played her in behind the German defence. Simon then struck her shot from an acute angle to beat Berger in the German goal.
Nicola Bolger completed the scoring for the Westfield Young Matildas in the 89th minute, when she tapped into an open goal after Kyah Simon broke down the left side, beat the keeper out wide and then crossed to the middle.
After the match Westfield Young Matildas Head Coach Alen Stajcic reflected on his team's successful match and European campaign.
"The result today was tremendous when you consider it's our third game in five days," said Stajcic.
"However we're not getting carried away as our performance was patchy at times, especially in terms of keeping the ball, and wasn't up to our usual standard.
"I was particularly pleased with Jessica Seaman and Casey Dumont in defence, and Tameka Butt and Kyah Simon in attack who provided the spark for most our opportunities," concluded Stajcic.