Lisa De Vanna is back in Melbourne Victory colours for the first time since 2014.
The Westfield Matildas great has signed with the club ahead of the 2020/21 season in a huge coup which sees the forward return to Victory for a third campaign.
De Vanna helped Victory to its maiden championship in 2013/14 and guided the club to a Grand Final appearance the following season.
A four-time championship winner in the Westfield W-League, we take a look back at De Vanna’s previous spell with Victory.
A maiden Victory championship
Victory had suffered a Grand Final loss the season before De Vanna arrived in late 2013.
After being humbled by Sydney FC in the opening round of 2013/14, Victory went on a nine-match unbeaten run.
De Vanna opened her account in Adelaide in Round 2 and would shine throughout the campaign.
She scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 thrashing of the Newcastle Jets in Round 10. De Vanna is still just one of six players to score a Westfield W-League hat-trick for the club, having become the third to do so. Caitlin Friend scored three times against the Jets earlier in the same campaign.
Victory finished third after two losses to finish the regular season, but it reached the Grand Final courtesy of a 3-2 success over Sydney FC in the Semi Finals.
De Vanna opened the scoring in a 2-0 Grand Final win against Brisbane Roar, with Lauren Barnes netting the second.
She finished with eight goals for the season, one more than Friend. It is the equal second most in a campaign for Victory, only bettered by Natasha Dowie – nine in 2016/17 and 2018/19.
Falling short
Victory enjoyed another fine campaign the following season, finishing second on the table.
De Vanna scored three goals as Racheal Quigley took out the club’s Golden Boot in 2014 with eight.
But Victory suffered a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out loss to Canberra United in the Semi Finals, ending its season.
In total, De Vanna scored 11 goals – which is the fifth most for the club – in 25 appearances.
