Two of the Westfield W-League’s most prolific midfielders will be going head-to-head this Sunday afternoon when Melbourne City takes on Western Sydney with the winner booking a place in the grand final.
City’s Emily van Egmond and Western Sydney’s Ella Mastrantonio both made their W-League debuts in the competitions first season, 2008-09. Mastrantonio has remained in Australia for her whole career while van Egmond has played in Denmark, Germany and America while still playing in the W-League. Both players have also played for the Matildas with Mastrantonio appearing six times but not having played for her country since 2008 while van Egmond has played just under 100 internationals.
This has been both players first season at their new clubs and both have impressed. van Egmond played in all 12 matches and Mastrantonio has missed just one due to suspension.
Both players defensive sides of their game are strong, despite defending and helping their teams in different ways. van Egmond has a tackling success rate of 73.3% while Mastrantonio’s success rate is 45.2 percent. The Wanders midfielders reading of the play is a highlight, having made 18 interceptions compared to van Egmond’s six. Mastrantonio has also made 11 clearances and two blocks while van Egmond has six clearances to her name and no blocks.
Both touch the ball about the same amount but Mastrantonio’s passing has been slightly better this season boasting a success rate of 80.7% while van Egmond’s is a little lower at 77.7%.
The attacking side of the game is where van Egmond excels and has been by far the more impressive of the two this season. She has made 20 crosses in open play and also 23 key passes although surprisingly, has no assists to her name. Mastrantonio has made just three crosses this season but has picked up two assists from her 18 key passes.
van Egmond has shot 23 times with 13 being on target while three of Mastrantonio’s 16 shots have been on target. van Egmond was one goal off the golden boot, finishing with six for the season while Mastrantonio didn’t find the back of the net at all. All of van Egmond’s goals came off her right boot and four were from outside of the box.
With both players playing integral roles for their respective teams this season, their individual performances on the weekend could be the key to the final result.
