Sydney FC’s W-League defender Angelique Christodoulou was not daunted at the prospect of marking Perth Glory’s in-form superstar Sam Kerr at yesterday’s Grand Final.
Christodoulou, 17 is daughter of former Sydney Olympic and Oyroo Eric Christodoulou.
She has just completed her third season in the W-League and is considered one of the rising stars of Australian Women’s football.
Ahead of the Grand Final against Perth Glory the young defender is relishing the opportunity to be a thorn in Sam Kerr’s side on Saturday.
“To be 17 and to be involved in a second Grand Final is an amazing feeling to be honest,” she told Neos Kosmos
“I have played against Sam Kerr before and she is a phenomenal player. Even watching her in the semi-final over the weekend where she scored three goals – she can change the game at any time. She is a world class player, so having the opportunity to mark her and be on the same field as her is pretty exciting.”
Sydney FC W-League coach Ante Juric is a former Sydney Olympic teammate of Angelique’s father Eric and he feels the young defender has shown a marked improvement in her game this season.
“Angelique is still a young girl, she is still learning,” he said. “She has played the last few games for us coming off the bench and being 17-years old and involved in a Grand Final is good for her. Her time will come when she will be a regular starter and be part of Sydney FC for a long time.”
Teresa Polias is Christodoulou’s captain and teammate at Sydney FC and she revealed how the two Greek Australians have formed a close bond over the last two seasons.
“I consider her a close family friend now,” she told Neos Kosmos.
“She has done really well this season and one thing about Ante Juric is that he really backs his youngsters. In such a competitive squad these young players have been able to get a starting role and game time off the bench, and when Ange has got her chance she has done very well.”