Jynaya Dos Santos continues to follow in the footsteps of Matildas star Caitlin Foord after the Shellharbour teen made her top flight debut for Sydney FC on Sunday.
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The 16-year-old was injected from the bench during the second half of the sky blues' A-League Women's season opener against Adelaide United at ServiceFM Stadium. While it was a moment that Dos Santos will never forget, it was a bittersweet day for her side, as Emilia Murray's late header sealed a 1-0 victory for the hosts.
Dos Santos' debut came 12 years after fellow Shellharbour talent Foord, then also 16, played her first W-League game for the sky blues.
"It was really exciting to make my debut. It's been a dream of mine since I was little and I always hoped it was with this club as well, I've supported Sydney FC since I was very young," Dos Santos - who was back in the classroom at Westfields Sports High School on Monday - told the Mercury.
"The game was a lot quicker than it looks when you're just watching, but I got used to it after 10 minutes of feeling nervous."
It's been a dream of mine since I was little and I always hoped it was with this club as well.
- - Jynaya Dos Santos
Sunday's debut continues a meteoric rise for Dos Santos. The Shellharbour junior- who signed with the club alongside younger sister Indiana in September - represented the Young Matildas at the FIFA Under-20s Women's World Cup earlier this year, and was called up to Australia's under 23s team for the AFF Women's Championships. Dos Santos hopes to one day join Foord in the Matildas' set-up but, for now, the talented forward remains focused on getting more game time at Sydney FC.
"I'm always trying to impress at training and keep doing well to get on that team sheet," she said. "It was disappointing to lose [to Adelaide], but I know that we've just got to keep working harder to get to our end goal [of winning the title]."
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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.
