De Vanna re-writes Matildas' record books
Aug 5, 2017 - 1:00 AM Lisa De Vanna admits chasing the all-time goalscoring record for the Matildas has been stressful.It's played on her mind and even stopped her from scoring.
But now the record is hers, she's looking into the distance and wondering how many more goals there might be.
The 32-year-old striker scored twice in Australia's 6-1 romp over Brazil as the Matildas claimed the Tournament of Nations.
It was enough to draw level and then surpass forward Kate Gill to claim the goalscoring record.
It was also long time coming.
Australia's most reliable source of goals had dried up -- these were De Vanna's first goals for the national team for a year.
"To be honest, it's a monkey off my back," De Vanna told AAP.
"When I went onto the field it was my main concern, to score two more goals. It affected me.
"Today was the first time I didn't think about it, just played my game and the opportunity came.
"Scoring those goals is everything to me because I've given so much to the game.
"An achievement like that, it's fantastic."
After netting her 42nd goal in a Matildas shirt, how many might she end up with?
With the 2018 Asian Cup, 2019 World Cup and 2020 Olympics on the horizon, De Vanna -- who has struggled with lower leg problems in recent years -- said she'd be listening to her body.
"I have this argument with Staj (coach Alen Stajcic) every time I have my little emotional moments," she said.
"He says 'you can play until you're 40' and I'm like 'I'm not going to be here until I'm 58'.
"Today, at halftime I said to him I've only got another 10 minutes left in my tank and he said that's fine.
"I've done my days where I play 90 minutes and push my body to the limits.
"Now it's about making sure I'm in a good environment and my head is right emotionally, and physically.
"If I can have that I can have a long career."
Stajcic said De Vanna deserved the honour.
"There's no one who wears the shirt with more pride than Lisa," he said.
" It's a just reward for such a lengthy career, such a passionate career and one that's still got a long way to go."
Source: AAP
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