Melbourne Victory is preparing for the Westfield W-League Grand Final after a formidable all-round season.
Victory will face Sydney FC at Jubilee Stadium on Sunday in its third decider and first since 2013/14, as it aims to win a second championship.
Jeff Hopkins’ side has produced several emphatic performances this season, scoring six goals on three occasions, including in a 6-2 Semi Final win over Brisbane Roar.
But it has built its campaign at both ends of the pitch.
It has kept seven clean sheets in 13 games this season, which is the equal most in 2020/21 alongside the Sky Blues.
Victory has seen four players feature in every minute of the campaign, and three are defenders alongside goalkeeper Gaby Garton.
Captain Angela Beard and centre-backs Kayla Morrison and Claudia Bunge have played all 1,170 minutes, while right-back Polly Doran has started 12 games.
Kyra Cooney-Cross and Melina Ayres are the only other players to have started all 13 matches for Victory.
And it has been the club’s attack that has taken centre stage.
Victory has scored a club-record 31 goals this season, eclipsing the 28 it managed in 2012/13 and 2013/14, when it also made the Grand Final.
It has three players in the top 10 for goals scored this campaign, with Ayres (eight) joined by Catherine Zimmerman (six) and Cooney-Cross (five).
Ayres (five) and Cooney-Cross (four) also feature in the top 10 for assists.
A hat-trick against Brisbane in the Semi Final saw Ayres become just the second player in Westfield W-League history to net a finals treble.
Ayres and Lisa De Vanna, who netted a brace against the Roar, joined Amy Jackson and Caitlin Friend on 14 Westfield W-League goals for Victory, the equal second most behind Natasha Dowie (34).
It has been a season of milestones for Victory.
Jackson broke the club record for most Westfield W-League appearances (now 72), while MelindaJ Barbieri and Beard became the seventh and eighth players respectively to play 50 games for Victory in the competition. Lia Privitelli (49) and Ayres (48) are nearing the same milestone.
De Vanna, meanwhile, is equal with Kate Gill for the third most Australian national league goals (67), behind only Michelle Heyman (73) and Sam Kerr (70).
An excellent team spirit has helped Victory break records and make the Grand Final as it eyes history in Sydney.
