Katie Johnson, ACFC Forward
Overall thoughts on the match:
“Today was a battle being away, especially in their home opener. Their energy was really great. We had to match that to begin with. We really wanted to emphasize putting in a 90-minute match and today we showed that on the road, which was really important for us.”
On the goal and thoughts during the set piece during the corner:
“We've been practicing our set pieces, putting in the work, and putting that away. I've been getting on the end of it at practice. Having the mentality of being able to finish it and score was what I was trying to do, and I was able to do that.”
On keeping up the pressure after intense moments of the game:
“Our energy never died and doubt never entered our minds. Even when Savannah got the other penalty kick [which was overturned by VAR for an offside call], we kept attacking and never lowered our level. We kept going and going, and were able to finish it. I'm really proud of this group for doing that.”
Madison Hammond, ACFC Midfielder
Thoughts on the match:
“I think that we came out really hot. We wanted to really focus on matching our energy from the start of the game last week. Obviously, we weren't able to get the result at home, which I think really stung. And so I think today it was just all about bringing a really high intensity to the game and I think we established that really early on.”
“We can now say that we can win ugly, and that's really important in this league. Really big credit to K-Jo [Katie Johnson] for stepping in and coming off the bench. That is always really tough, but to come in and put the game on her back and just put it away for us was really awesome.”
“All of the people that came in off the bench were really big sparks of energy and I think that really helps, especially when you're playing in Orlando humidity.
“I just think overall we can be really proud that we put our head down, did the really ugly stuff and we're able to walk away with three points.”
On the transition into the defensive midfield position:
“My transition into the defensive midfielder has been really fun for me. It's definitely a project and I'm learning a lot from every game, but I think I'm just going in with the mindset of making big improvements every time I step into that position.
“Ultimately, my job is to facilitate so that people like Sav, Alyssa, Simone, and K-Jo can get on the ball and do what they do. So if I can do the gritty work and break that first line of pressure and just give it to them, then I'm really happy.”
Freya Coombe, ACFC Head Coach
Thoughts on the overall match:
“I’m pleased with the fight that we had. It was a moment where it was going to be scrappy, and we went in there fighting and showed our desire while being relentless until the end—the final whistle. I’m really proud of the players and their ability to dig in tonight.”
On choosing Claire Emslie for tonight’s penalty kicks:
“We have players compete for everything that we do. Claire has been competitive with taking penalties, and has been doing a great job, which is why she had that role this evening.”
On Scarlett Camberos’s debut performance:
“For Scarlett coming in, it's a very difficult place to play. She's only been training for a short time with us. It's important for us to get her integrated with the team as quickly as possible. There was a good opportunity to get minutes here tonight, and freshen up our front line. We were able to create a lot down her side, and now as she gets used to the NWSL, the transitional nature, the physicality, we'll start to see a lot more from her.”
On message to the team after Orlando’s equalizer:
“We learned a lot from that moment. In games there's going to be shifts in momentum the whole time. In our last game we started strong, then the momentum shifted. We were able to weather the storm a little bit more [compared with last week], saw that the momentum shifted back, and put them under relentless pressure—through the penalty that I thought Savannah earned but then was called offside in Katie Johnson’s movement, we were putting that pressure on them, which was good. At those times we’ve just got to ride through that momentum.”
