Roar midfielder Kijah Stephenson has returned from an ACL injury this season with a knack for long-range strikes, adding another in Brisbane Roar’s vital Friday night win over Perth Glory.
After a sharp tackle from Tish Woods, the ball fell to Stephenson, who took a touch before clipping a stunning left-footed rocket over the outstretched gloves of Glory goalkeeper Dayle Schroeder. Her 57th-minute finish restored the Roar’s advantage after the match was drawn at 2–2, swinging the momentum back their way and helping secure a crucial 5-2 victory that keeps them in the hunt for their first A‑League finals appearance since 2020/21.
“It all just kind of came to me,” Stephenson said. “We spoke about shooting at halftime. It was an instinct and I just got the ball and shot.”
Stephenson has made those moments her trademark this season, and all three of her goals have been rockets from outside the box.
It has been a rewarding return for the Bundaberg forward, who was sidelined during the 2024/25 campaign with an ACL injury. The road back has been testing, but it has given her a renewed appreciation for the game.
“Ask anyone who’s done their ACL — it’s a tough one. You don’t realise what you have until it’s gone,” she said.
“I’ve grown this love for the game I didn’t know I had. It’s more of a mental battle than a physical one, but I couldn’t have done it without the support of the club and the girls. You see the game in a different light when you come back from it.”
The Roar sit fifth on the ladder and face a do-or-die clash in Canberra next Saturday in their final match of the regular season. If prior results aren’t to go their way on Friday, they will need to win to keep their finals hopes alive in what has become a razor-thin race on the Ninja A-League ladder.
“We’re just going to go out, give our best, 110%, and not leave anything out there,” Stephenson said.
Brisbane Roar face Canberra United on Saturday, April 4, at 2pm AEST.
