Pendragon Management is built upon the principal values of King Arthur – honesty, integrity, wisdom and courage. Our vision is founded on chivalry and equity. These core values are reflected in all of our Olympians representing Australia.
As a result of these values, and CEO John Glover’s love for the round ball, Pendragon has dedicated its support to the Matildas, modern Knights of the Round Table, as they shoot for gold in Rio.
A 6-1 win over Zimbabwe and loses to both Sweden and New Zealand in Groups E and G have ensured that the Matilda’s qualify for the quarter finals…
Match Three: AUS v ZIM
Matilda’s co-captain Lisa De Vanna opened the scoring in the second minute, with Claire Polkinghorne and Alanna Kennedy both executing set pieces from the corner to bring the total to 3 nil before half time.
The dominant display continued into the second half, with Kyah Simon converting against the Mighty Warriors, and substitute Michelle Heyman taking a brace, her first goal coming just three minutes after she took the field.
The Matilda’s committed numbers forward hoping to snatch the 7th goal which would ensure that they would qualify second in the group, and Zimbabwe midfielder Emmaluate Msipa capitalised on this, scoring in the 91st minute to ensure that the game finished 6-1.
Australia finished 3rd in Group F, but the massive win against Zimbabwe and Canada defeating Germany meant that the girls almost nabbed second in the group, with Germany taking the higher place by just a single goal.
Australia will now meet Brazil in the quarter final, and with the opposition having the home crowd behind them it promises to be an electrifying match. Coach Alan Stajcic highlighted just how close the game would be, ‘”Two weeks ago Brazil beat us 3-1 in a friendly game, but we beat them at the World Cup,” he said. “They toured Australia two years ago – they won one game and we won one game.
“We know we can beat them and they know that they can beat us, so it’ll be a very even game.”
Kick-off is at 11am Saturday morning here in Australia, so make sure you are tuned into Channel 7 or livestreaming the match to cheer on the Matildas as they vie to make the top 4.
Whoever wins the quarter final between Brazil and Australia will meet either the United States or Sweden in the semi-final.
