Canberra United youngster Karly Roestbakken has been selected in Leah Blayney’s Young Matildas squad for the 2018 ASEAN Women’s Championship in the coming weeks.
The selection caps off a strong Season 10 of the Westfield W-League for Roestbakken, where she excelled in the backline of Heather Garriock’s setup.
Roestbakken also had an excellent campaign at the recent NTC in Canberra for the ACT side, and said she is delighted to have been selected.
“It’s amazing,” she said soon after the announcement.
“It is always a great honour and opportunity to go and showcase what I can bring to the team, and to represent my country is such an amazing feeling.”
“It is what I have been working towards and I can’t wait.”
Last season was a breakout year for Roestbakken under the tutelage of Garriock and she is thankful for the trust placed in her by the former Matildas’ defender.
“Heather has trusted me,” Roestbakken said.
“To put a 16 or 17 year old in the backline you need a lot of trust and Heather did, and playing with the older girls has helped me develop as a player and that has played a role in this selection.”
Garriock was full of praise for the Canberra youngster, who currently plays with the Canberra United Academy in the NPLW Capital Football.
“Karly has worked very hard for this and I’m so proud of her selection,” Garriock said.
“Karly took on a much bigger role this season and jumped straight into it, and now she has been rewarded for a fantastic season.”
All of Australia’s matches at the 2018 AFF Women’s Championship will be played at the Jakabaring Stadium in the city of Palembang, which is the capital of South Sumatra.
The Westfield Young Matildas will kick-off their Group A games with a clash against Malaysia on 30 June. This fixture will be followed by games against Timor-Leste (4 July), Cambodia (6 July), and finally Thailand (8 July).
Blayney’s charges will need to finish in the top two of Group A following their four pool matches to advance to the semi-finals of the competition, as well as either the Final or third place play-off.
