Lisa De Vanna praised Melbourne Victory’s belief and persistence after winning the Westfield W-League championship on Sunday.
Kyra Cooney-Cross’ 120th-minute winner saw Victory past Sydney FC 1-0, as it won its second championship and first since 2013/14.
De Vanna and Cooney-Cross hit the crossbar in the first half and Jada Whyman repeatedly denied Victory before it found its winner.
“Something I’ve never experienced before. The ball just wouldn’t go in the back of the net,” De Vanna told Fox Sports.
“It’s one of those games where you’re thinking, ‘Is it going to go into a penalty shoot-out and are we going to lose in a penalty shoot-out after having that many chances?’
“We were persistent and we believed and it took the last kick of the game to win it and you can’t put a feeling to that.”
De Vanna won her fifth Westfield W-League title and was a constant threat against Sydney.
The Westfield Matildas great said she had enjoyed teaching her younger team-mates throughout the season.
“I actually feel like I’ve grown as a person and a player playing for Victory this year,” De Vanna said.
“It was definitely a different role, I had to lead and teach them about what it takes to be the best and what it takes to be a Matilda at that level and every game, every week, every day was a challenge and look at the rewards.
“This is just a true reflection of what we had achieved by having a good culture and believe in yourself.
“This is, probably out of my whole career, one of the most exciting feelings I’ve ever experienced because you just learn from everything that you achieved from the processes.”
