When Mary Fowler curled the ball into the back of the net to sink Great Britain's Olympic aspirations, many Aussie fans were left in shock. Not Wollongong's Scott Chipperfield.
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The former Socceroo had seen the prodigious teenager's talent first hand back in 2018. Chipperfield was coaching the Illawarra Stingrays when Fowler took the field for opponents Bankstown.
"It was only one game but she killed us. She scored a goal and always looked dangerous. I think Mary will be the next big Australian, she will be the next Sam Kerr. She's got a lot of ability and she's only young," he said.
"They've got a good base for years to come, there's good young talented players coming though. Twenty years ago, you wouldn't see it as much. But now a lot of girls are playing soccer which is great."
Fast forward to 2021 and Fowler hasn't looked out of place in Tokyo. The 18-year-old - who also had a brief stint with the Stingrays two years ago - has been a substitute in all but one Matildas' game, injecting plenty of energy and spark into their campaign.
Her biggest highlight has been that goal against Great Britain in the quarter-finals. With the score locked at 2-2 in extra time, Fowler took possession outside the box and launched the ball past a despairing goalkeeper.
Now, as the Matildas prepare for Thursday night's gold medal match against the USA, Chipperfield is convinced that Fowler has even more to give.
"I wouldn't mind seeing Mary start. Each time she's come on, she's looked lively and she's got some X-factor about her as well," he said.
"She should feel pretty fresh, though it's not easy playing games every couple of days in those conditions. But I think if she can get into the game pretty early, I think she can be the difference."
Chipperfield represented the Socceroos for more than a decade, but he never got the chance to compete at an Olympics. However, the Wollongong resident knows what it's like to compete at some of the world's biggest football competitions.
The 45-year-old has been impressed with the Matildas' Tokyo campaign.
The Australians were denied a chance at the gold medal when they fell 1-0 to Sweden on Monday, in a game that will be remembered for a controversial call. Sam Kerr had appeared to put her side 1-0 up, but referee Melissa Borjas called a foul for an illegal block by Emily van Egmond on a defender. It would prove the match's turning point, but Chipperfield believes it's still been a successful campaign.
"Leading up to it, there was a lot of expectation, especially for the Matildas because they've done so well the last couple of years and they're one of the teams that a lot of Australia follow now," Chipperfield said.
"When they've been behind, they keep fighting. They've dug in deep to get results. They've done well, it's not easy playing every couple of days in tough conditions. A few of the girls looked a bit tired in the last game, but hopefully they can back up for the bronze medal match."
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
