An amazing Mary Fowler statistic was doing the rounds after she scored a screamer (watch above) that headlined the Matildas' 3-0 win over Chinese Taipei.
Fowler, one of the stars of Australia's recent World Cup heroics, is fast becoming one of the nation's most popular athletes, with her budding romance with Nathan Cleary only adding to an already heady mix.
Cleary, who was in the crowd in Perth on Thursday night, had his reaction captured by TV cameras on several occasions during the broadcast and his smile was never wider than when Fowler unleashed a rocket after cutting inside from the left wing, with her powerful shot swerving out of the reach of the goalkeeper, bursting the back of the net in the top corner.
READ MORE: Fresh details of Maxwell's doomed golf cart trip
READ MORE: Proteas star smashes fourth World Cup ton
READ MORE: 'It's dangerous' Pies CEO defends Ginnivan trade
The Penrith Panthers NRL star wasn't the only onlooker in awe, with Fowler attracting the plaudits of the commentators as social media lit up with stunned reaction.
Perhaps the most telling of the comments to follow Fowler's supreme strike came in the form of a statistic comparing the 20-year-old with Sam Kerr at the same age.
At 20, Kerr wasn't yet the global superstar she has since become and had scored three goals for the Matildas, albeit with the important caveat that the star striker tore her ACL as a 19-year-old, which put an early dent in her progress.
Fowler, meanwhile, has already scored 13 international goals, including four this year.
To take the comparison further, Fowler has now made 46 appearances in her first five years as part of the national team. In Kerr's first five years as a Matilda she made 35 appearances for five goals.
It adds up to a stunning start to what's shaping up to be an extraordinary career.
Even more impressive is her maturity for such a young player. Fowler spoke after the game with no hint of the brashness that you might expect from a 20-year-old with the world at her feet.
"I think in those moments, you're not really thinking too much," Fowler said of her goal. "You're just doing them off instinct and trying them out.
"Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. I had a few chances in the first half and that one in the second half went in."
Fowler will now return to her club side Manchester City, where she has started to become a more regular starter on the back of an outstanding World Cup.
Her profile will continue to grow, particularly as half of Australian sport's newest power couple.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.