LOWLANDS Wanderers players Amber Coffey and Charlotte Abel have set their sights on the green and gold of the Matildas, but unlike many aspiring soccer players, they want to take all their team mates with them.
Amber, 13, and Charlotte, 12, are part of the Wanderers’ under-14s division one team, which by all accounts is a tight knit group.
The girls get along famously, according to both Amber and Charlotte, and parents of players in the team confirmed it too.
It is an enviable team environment. The girls get along like a house on fire, but they are also kicking goals on the field.
The team has become the first from the Lowlands Wanderers to qualify for a state cup grand final.
The team will take on Shellharbour on July 22, after making it through the knockout tournament and only conceding one goal in the process.
They are also undefeated in their regular weekend competition in the Nepean Football Association.
The girls are looking forward to the grand final, according to Charlotte.
“A lot of effort went into it. All the training and the time we put in, our parents too. It was hard work getting there,” she said.
Amber said she was proud of her team mates.
“I feel like the team never gave up and we did really well. We never stopped fighting to get where we wanted to be,” she said.
The girls finished each other’s sentences on more than one occasion while speaking to the Gazette, but both said the team had been together mostly since the under-10s, or five seasons.
Amber said the team saw plenty of each other away from the field.
“We go to the movies, dinner, and sleep over at each other's houses. We stay in touch all the time,” she said.
Charlotte added that they watch plenty of football together, and most recently had been enjoying the World Cup, but often went to Western Sydney Wanderers games.
Last season they went onto the pitch at half-time of a Western Sydney Wanderers women’s game, but they went to both the men’s and women’s matches.
Amber said it was an exciting time in women’s sport, and as a young player it was great to see the growth of the game.
“It is improving heaps. It used to not be such a big thing, but it is starting to become bigger and better and it is inspiring to us,” she said.
They’ll need all the inspiration they can get too, if they are to make it to the top of Australian soccer as they plan to.
“We want to make it to the Matildas, but we want to do it as a team,” Charlotte said.
“We want to make it that high one day.”