A bumper crowd of more than 3000 has witnessed soccer history in Honiara today as the Westfield Junior Matildas played the Solomon Islands Under 19s in the first women’s football international ever to be played between the two countries on Solomons’ soil.
In another first, women were given free entry to the match at Lawson Tama Stadium, a venue which has rarely hosted women’s football.
The Australians won 14-nil but Westfield Junior Matildas Coach Rae Dower was full of praise for the home side.
“The Solomons team today possibly played with the best football structure we’ve come across,” she said.
“Certainly the girls were fit and had some pace in there as well.
“I think the game, despite the score line, turned out to be very willing and highly competitive.”
Solomon Islands Under 19s Coach Patrick Miniti said the game was a turning point for women’s football in the Pacific nation.
“This is the way forward,” he said.
“We need to start somewhere.
“The potential that girls have in women’s football in Oceania is great.
“We can go very far, so we need to start developing the girls from an early age.”
Junior Matildas winger Taneesha Baker, who scored two goals, said she is proud to have been a part of this historic event and was impressed by her opponents.
“They were able to play between each other really well and work as a team really well,” she said.
“They were very physical and they pressed us really well and as a team and we dealt with the conditions really well.”
While in Honiara, the Junior Matildas took time to learn about the culture of the Solomon Islands and its long history with Australia, visiting the National Museum, RAMSI exhibition and National Gallery.
The Australians head home tomorrow, having completed their three-match Pacific Step Up tour undefeated.
The tour, which also featured matches against Tonga and Vanuatu, forms a vital part of preparation for the Junior Matildas upcoming World Cup qualification campaign in Asia.
This tour has been made possible through a partnership between Football Federation Australia, the Australian Government and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as part of the ‘Pacific Step-Up’ and the Australia Pacific Sports Linkages Program.
Courtesy: FFA
