| Kelly shows the boys the way to the World Cup By Jonathan Pearlman She grew up kicking the ball around with Harry Kewell. Now Kelly Golebiowski is paving her own path to glory. On the eve of the WNSL grand final, she spoke to Jonathan Pearlman. If you'd like your son or daughter to play soccer for Australia, you might try sending them to Westfields High. As the school's most famous graduate, Harry Kewell, was dribbling his way across the playground, Kelly Golebiowski was not far behind. Golebiowski, who was two years behind Kewell, will line up today for the NSW Sapphires in the Women's National Soccer League grand final against Canberra Eclipse at Parramatta Stadium. But unlike Kewell, whose Socceroos have been infamously pipped at the post in their past two efforts to make the World Cup finals, Golebiowski played for Australia in the World Cup in the US in 1999 and is set to play in next year's tournament in China should the Matildas' qualifying matches go to plan. In years 8 and 9, Golebiowski was good enough to train with the boys, which meant training with Kewell. It didn't faze her. "He was quite nice," the 20-year-old said. "He did all his schoolwork and would play soccer at lunchtime." What she learnt from Kewell was not so much skill or technique, but determination to succeed. "What I got from him was his drive to go for what he wanted," she said. When Golebiowski was four, her mother wanted her to play netball. But children had to be seven to play netball and young Kelly wasn't prepared to wait. She got permission to join her older brother's soccer team, the Marayong Spurs, and never looked back. In 1995, at age 14, she was the youngest player to be selected for the Matildas. Although she has played for Australia for nearly seven years, she is still too young to play in the US professional league. Instead, she played a season in the US semi-professional second-division, the W-League, where she was named the rookie of the year. Playing in the US in front of weekly crowds in the thousands was a far cry from playing for the Sapphires, who rarely attract crowds above 50. And since Australian women footballers are not paid, Golebiowski finds herself having to work two days a week packing animal products in a factory in Arndell Park. She spends the rest of her time training - often just kicking a ball around by herself at the park. The player whose example Golebiowski tries to follow is not her old mate Kewell, but Liverpool striker Michael Owen. "He's young and short and fast and fit and he's very quick on the ball," said Golebiowski, who is 157cm - just over five foot. Like Owen, Golebiowski doesn't like to hang about the goalmouth waiting for something to happen. "I don't like to cherrypick, as the girls call it," she said. "I used to play in the midfield, so I prefer to turn and take players on." Golebiowski is confident the Sapphires, who are unbeaten this season, will triumph today. "Last year we had a bunch of kids in the team and we came second," she said. "This year we've got the old heads back - players like Joanne Peters and my striking partner Alicia Cavanagh - so I'm confident." There will also be a minor contest for goals among Golebiowski, Cavanagh and Canberra striker Caitlin Munoz, who are tied as top scorers with eight goals each for the season. Despite her long stint with the national side, Golebiowski has not lost sight of her aims. "I just want to stay in the national team as long as I can and make the World Cup and the Olympics." It is even conceivable, Golebiowski said, that the Matildas, who are ranked eighth in the world, will come third in the World Cup. "For little old Australia, in the football world we do pretty well." |
| Original article can be found here: http://old.smh.com.au/news/0203/09/sport/sport12.html |
 |
| Photo: Tim Clayton |
 |