Ashlie Crofts' rise from W-League hopeful to Canberra United star

But good things come to those who wait.

Her 16-goal haul for the Blacktown Spartans in the NSW Premier League caught the attention of Canberra United coach Heather Garriock.

"At 21-years-old, it kind of seems to be you're too old to get your start in the W-League. You start to think about the fact you might not be good enough to play," Crofts said.

"I used to be part of the NSW Institute program and a lot of the players were 16 at the time but were in the W-League system or had contracts. Whereas, I wasn't.

"My NPL coaches kept telling me 'you never know who's watching' so I just kept trying to do my best and it eventually paid off.

"I caught the eye of someone like Heather Garriock."

The Western Sydney native put her full-time job as a pre-school teacher on pause and flew down the Hume Highway for a chance to impress Garriock in lime green.

Crofts has since featured in each of United's opening four matches and scored her maiden W-League goal on her starting debut against the Newcastle Jets.

"It was really special. A lot of the girls were trying to hype me up in the morning saying 'I feel like an Ashlie banger is coming,'" Crofts said.

"I said, 'I don't care how it goes in the net, I just want it to go in.' Of course, it landed right at my feet and I could just tap it in.

"It was just so good to get off the mark, especially so early. It gives me confidence for the rest of the season as well."

United sit fourth on the W-League ladder heading into their round five clash against Perth Glory on Friday, having won two and lost just as many matches.

Canberra will be looking to bounce back from their 2-1 loss to Brisbane Roar, which left Garriock frustrated with their slow start and poor defensive performance.

Goalkeeper Sham Khamis, who made five saves against Brisbane, is confident United can build from a promising second-half outing when they touch down in Western Australia next week.

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"We went down in the first half but we know it's a dangerous scoreline so I'm proud of them," Khamis said.

"I think we can definitely build from our second half, we could have snagged a draw and potentially a win.

"We finished strong and know what we're capable of - we're only getting better which is exciting.

"We'll get back to the drawing board to be ready for next week's match against Perth."

Canberra defeated Glory 2-0 in their opening match of the season, with American import Simone Charley booting both of United's goals on her W-League debut.

Garriock's side will be bolstered by the inclusion of Norwegian international Elise Thorsnes, who is set to play her third match of the season.

Thorsnes has scored two vital goals in as many matches for Canberra, but is only eligible to play another five matches under the guest player rule.

W-LEAGUE ROUND FIVE

Friday: Perth Glory v Canberra United at Dorrien Gardens, Perth, 10.15pm (AEDT).