Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Casey Dumont looms as a World Cup squad dark horse for the Matildas thanks to her “every moment matters” attitude.
That mantra was never better displayed than during last week’s A-League Women’s finals when the star stopper had an ice-cool couple of minutes, calmly slotting home a penalty during the shootout before walking to the goal-line and brilliantly saving the opposition’s first spot kick.
It was clinical, eye-catching and reflective of much of her performance at the business end of the A-League Women’s season, which reinvigorated the conversation about her chances joining the Matildas squad.
Last week’s A-League Women’s penalty drama came after the Victory versus Melbourne City final was on a knife’s edge at 3-3 after regulation time thanks to a 97th-minute equaliser from City. Enter Dumont.
Having put the ball into the net without any apparent sign of emotion, Dumont walked to the line and reverted to ’keeper mode. Briefly, a smile appeared on her face.
Casey Dumont, her cool head and the classy finish.
She lunged to her right to save the spot-kick from City’s Katie Brown, and give Victory the edge.
“In training, we practise it,” Dumont said of her composure.
“If you do it right in practice, it’s going to pay off when you need to come to that one moment. And that’s the thing, you only have one moment, so you’ve got to get it right.”
She added she felt reassured by the confidence her team put in her at that moment.
“They straightaway were like ‘You’re going to go first’ and the momentum of them wanting me to go first, and me choosing to as well, it just helps to know I can step up and do that.”
Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Casey DumontCredit: Getty Images
Her steely composure and focus were praised by many and sparked debate about her being in Matildas contention with Sydney FC star keeper Jada Whyman as to potentially getting the call-up from outside the main mix of Teagan Micah, Mackenzie Arnold and Lydia Williams.
“There is hope – but I’m also realistic. The keepers they’ve got are phenomenal. And whoever they pick is going to do the job because everyone knows those moments, you’ve got to step up and perform. But I still have fingers crossed,” Dumont told The Age.
Dumont has had a handful of Matildas appearances since her first in 2015, twice against New Zealand and once against Brazil, and is on the fringes of the extended squad list.
“It is in the back of my mind that if the Matildas or Tony gives me that call, I’m going to make sure I grab it with two hands and be like, ‘Okay, this is my one chance’,” said Dumont.
“Because that’s probably one thing that when I was part of the Matildas, I was I guess a bit immature [and] I didn’t realise that because I was constantly in camps. But now being out of it for so long, it’s like, I have got to make sure every moment matters.”
… and the save: Casey Dumont does more damage by saving a penalty.
She knows how important the moments in the A-League Women’s finals are, for her team and because every player is being watched closely ahead of national selection.
“Every moment is crucial in that you’re being watched because it only takes that one chance to get called up,” she said.
Dumont’s mindset, along with her skills, is something Melbourne Victory coach Jeff Hopkins said has been an advantage of hers since he coached her at 16.
Hopkins said while she’s always been a “very talented player” what he saw early on in her was her mentality and character.
“Even she saved the penalty on the weekend in normal time, and all the girls ran over to her and she said ‘Get away from me, there’s a corner here to defend here,’ ” said Hopkins.
Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Casey Dumont raises her fist celebrate with teammates.Credit: Daniel Pockett, Getty
“She’s got an amazing mentality. And you add that to her talent and she’s pretty formidable. And that’s obviously why when I came to this club, she was one of my first targets to bring in and she’ll never let you down.”
Hopkins said that while World Cup selection wasn’t for him to comment on, he wouldn’t be surprised if she got the call-up.
“She’s the best goalkeeper in A-League Women at the moment, in my eyes anyway. So, why not.”
Either way Dumont said her focus was Victory.
“If I don’t get called up, I have to keep that resilience of, I’m still a good player. So, it’s not the be-all and end-all … it’s an added bonus,” said Dumont.
“Because I’m loving playing. I’m loving being a part of Victory. I’m enjoying the girls. And I think it shows that when I focus on just loving it, the performance is happening.”
Right now, she is focused on the tough task of facing Sydney in a preliminary final to win a spot in what would be Victory’s third consecutive grand final.
“It’s always do or die with Sydney,” said Dumont.
“So, we have to now push that momentum to let’s focus on that, and it’s the same with okay, I had a great game now, [but now] it’s going to be this game. This game matters more, this game, every second is going to count.″
Melbourne Victory take on Sydney FC in the preliminary on Saturday 22 at Allianz Stadium at 3pm.
