The 32-year-old brought her tally to 43 in emphatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, unleashing a stunning volley to help Australia to a 2-1 win over Brazil at Pepper Stadium. That goal put her two ahead of Kate Gill as the Matildas' all-time leading scorer and within five of Cahill's record of 48 as Australia's overall leader.

When asked after the win over Brazil, De Vanna made no secret of her desire to eclipse Cahill's goal haul to become the undisputed top marksman in the country. However, she won't pursue that goal at the expense of enjoying the twilight of her career.

"I'm chasing that, that's my next thing," De Vanna said. "But if it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I feel like that's probably why I'm having a pretty consistent game because I'm just having fun. I think about it [the record], but it's not my main goal. I just want to have fun."

The veteran forward struck a first-time, left-foot volley at the end of the first half in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 15,000 at Penrith. She described the occasion as "a fairytale" for women's football and hopes to further state the credentials of the female footballers by outscoring her male counterparts on the international stage.

Time is on her side, according to Matildas coach Alen Stajcic who believes she has a number of years left at international football before contemplating retirement, and the striker is not taking any game for granted at her age. She's battled injuries throughout her career and knows how delicate careers are for senior players.

"I'm 32, I don't know when it's my last game. I've played at major tournaments where I've been sick and stressed. It's time for me to actually enjoy the twilight of my career," she said.

De Vanna was coy whether she'd be able to continue her scoring feat on Tuesday night in Newcastle in the second match against Brazil.

"Physically I don't think I can play 90 minutes. Whether [Stajcic] starts me, I don't know. But I know in my body to back it up next Tuesday would be very tough to play 90 minutes," she said.

While De Vanna is entering the latter stages of her career, a new star continued her rise within women's football as Sam Kerr showed why she's in the running to become the first Australian to be crowned World Player of the Year.

The 22-year-old forward scored a glancing header to seal the victory over Brazil in a match where she overshadowed the five-time player of the year, Marta, in the public domain. In the first minutes of the game, every touch from Kerr was met with a rousing reception from the home crowd in one of the most significant signs of adoration for the emerging star.

Initially, those cheers startled Kerr who admits she had to adjust to a crowd she wasn't accustomed to.

"I did [notice] the first time, but I think I left the ball behind. It kind of got blocked out after that, it's difficult because you get in the game and the emotion gets the better of you. I was trying to stay in the zone and stay focused, I think it worked," Kerr said. "It's just great for women's football, honestly the girls were saying they were holding back tears during the national anthem, to have that whole crowd behind you. It's such a different game."