Australia's women's national football team, the Matildas, ranked fifth in the world, suffered a surprising 7-0 loss to the Newcastle Jets under-16s side in a friendly match on Wednesday.
The match, which was not fiercely competitive, saw the Matildas field a rotating team including star player Katrina Gorry. However, the team was without their overseas-based players, which may have contributed to the result.
Assistant coach Gary van Egmond admitted the team was taken aback by the defeat. "To be honest we didn't expect that," he said. "But the Jets boys were very good. All credit to them. They moved the ball around very well and were excellent on the night."
Van Egmond noted that the Matildas are in a preparation phase and lack regular game time. "At this stage in their preparation, obviously the Matildas are not in a position to play regular games so I'd suggest all and sundry were a little bit rusty," he added.
The Matildas often play against boys' teams due to a lack of competitive opponents in Australia. Van Egmond emphasised the importance of challenging matches, stating, "We could have had an easier game, but we definitely want to keep testing the girls."
