Former Perth Glory goalkeeper Morgan Aquino says breaking WA’s 15-year Matildas debut drought would be surreal

Former Perth Glory goalkeeper Morgan Aquino says becoming the first Western Australian to debut for the Matildas since Sam Kerr would be a surreal achievement. Aqunio, who sealed a move to American USL Super League side DC Power in the off-season after an honour-laden final season with the Glory, could make her national team debut against Chinese Taipei in Geelong on Saturday. If Aquino makes her senior international bow, she would be the first player from WA to debut for the Matildas since Kerr back in 2009, ending a 15-year wait for local products. A former Junior (under-17) and Young (under-20) Matilda, Aquino said making her full international debut would be a dream come true, particularly after not really being on the radar a year ago. “It’d be surreal, it’d be amazing. Sam’s led the way in WA for a long time,” Aqunio told The West Australian. “Obviously, to put on the jersey, even if it’s on the bench or anything like that, it’s just an amazing experience and something that I’ll never take for granted at all.” Aquino enjoyed a superb final season with the Glory as she was voted Professional Football Australia’s goalkeeper of the season and won the A-League Women’s goalkeeper of the year award. She credited her breakout 12 months, which has culminated in a Matildas call-up, to a shift in mindset. “I didn’t really look at it as a career opportunity — only in the last couple of years, since there’s been more funding and things like that,” she said. “I got my first proper, big contract moving up to the US, knowing that this is a career path, and I can focus purely just on this, and I don’t have to study so much anymore, because I was studying as well. “Over the last year or so, I really put my full focus into it.” Aquino said training with the likes of another Glory goalkeeper in Matildas incumbent Mackenzie Arnold had been special, but credited her time in the national team’s youth set-ups for easing the transition. “I’m grateful for the time I spent in the Junior and Young Matildas, because I don’t feel so thrown in the deep end,” she said. “I came in halfway through camp, a few days before they actually got into Melbourne. “They’re familiar faces for me, but I’m not a familiar face to them. It’s nice to be around it and hopefully I don’t drop their standards too much, and I learn off them as well.”