Danika Matos on her breakout Westfield W-League season.
Matos returned to the Red & Black for her second season in the Westfield W-League after being part of the Wanderers record-breaking 2019/20 season squad.
Matos’ journey at the Wanderers has seen her progress from a train-on player in late 2019 to earning a full-time contract back in January last year.
Matos went on to make three appearances for the club before breaking off and having a very successful season in the National Premier League with Illawarra Stingrays.
Returning back for the 2020/21 season, Matos has gone to feature in ten matches and has used the experiences of her first season in the Red & Black to solidify her place in the starting team.
“My season this year has been really progressive,” explained Matos.
“I started the first season with three games and then got added into the squad as the 17th-man so that really helped me build my mentality.
“It really helped build me as a person and as a player.“I worked my way back into the squad into the right-back role and I’ve just been getting better and better every week.”
Matos has credited the coaching staff and the club’s facilities for her rapid rise into the Westfield W-League squad.
“The training facilities, the coaches and the players have just been unbelievable,” said Matos.
“The environment we have here is remarkable, every club probably wishes that they have what we have here.
“We get absolutely everything that we need and we are treated exactly how professional footballers should be.
“The coaching staff have been really great for my development, they tell you exactly what you need to work on, what you are doing right and really help you through everything.”
.jpg)
After a rocky start to the season, the Wanderers have opened the floodgates and have recorded some impressive results as well as scored some memorable goals.
For Matos and the Wanderers, the Finals Series is now out of contention but it is all about finishing the season strong.
“We’re just looking to finish the season with some positive football,” said Matos.
“We want to score a few goals and finish as high as we can on the top of the table.”
The Wanderers will wrap up their season on Sunday against Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium.
