In a matter of weeks Canberrans will be brushing shoulders with Australia's top footballers on Lonsdale Street. And Ellie Carpenter will be one of them.
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The former Canberra United player is set to return with the Matildas to Canberra Stadium on April 12 to face New Zealand in the second leg of their friendly series.
The 21-year-old spent two seasons in green for United in 2017-18 and 2018-19 before moving to Melbourne City, and later her current club, European giants Olympique Lyonnais.
Ahead of her return, the fullback said she enjoyed her time in the ACT for three reasons: coffee, the fans and accessibility.
"I remember I loved living in Canberra. It was a great two seasons, especially for my first couple of years in the W-League [ALW]," the fullback said.
"My favourite part of living in Canberra would be that everything is so close. Five minutes everywhere you go. I'm most looking forward to returning and probably visiting the cafes that I used to go to every day. My favourite coffee shop Eighty/Twenty. I think I'll be visiting that for sure."
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The Canberra Times last month revealed the Matildas were headed back to Canberra for the first time in almost a decade.
And Football Australia has promised to bring a star-studded line up to Canberra Stadium next month. Carpenter could be joined by the likes of Sam Kerr in the capital.
Some 18,553 people turned up for the last national match in the capital, the Socceroos' World Cup qualifier in 2019. Carpenter predicted it would be a big turnout again.
"The support for women's football, I think, was the best in the league when I was there," she said.
"And the Canberra supporters are so great for women's football as they always turn out for games really well. I'm really excited to play there in front of them as well and to see all them again. And I'm sure that we'll get another great crowd."
Following a shock exit from the AFC Asian Cup, the Matildas want to turn their campaign around ahead of next year's FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia.
The side topped its group at the Asian tournament earlier this year before bowing out in a shock 1-0 quarter-final loss to eventual runners-up South Korea.
Carpenter said the key to bouncing back from the cup exit would be getting back to basics.
"It's important that we can get our confidence back up after the early exit of the Asian Cup, and get our winning streak back," she said.
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY
Tuesday, April 12: Matildas v Football Ferns, Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm. Tickets from Ticketek.
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Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
