The Westfield Matildas' 2018 Tournament of Nations title defence got off to a solid start on Friday morning (AEST) with Alen Stajcic's charges securing a 3-1 win over Brazil at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City.
The match between Australia and Brazil in the United States of America was the fourth meeting between the two nations in the past year, and the Westfield Matildas have now secured a quartet of victories against one of the traditional powerhouses of international football.
On this occasion goals to Tameka Butt and Samantha Kerr, combined with an early own goal by Brazilian defender Poliana, helped propel Australia to the win.
Brazil scored a consolation goal through Debinha 11 minutes from full time, however it was a case of too little, too late for the seven-time Copa America Femenina champions.
The fixture also saw 15-year-old Mary Fowler become the 202nd player to represent Australia's senior women's national football team in an 'A' international encounter when she replaced Kerr deep into added time in the second stanza.
Westfield Matildas Head Coach, Alen Stajcic, took positives from the fixtures, however also outlined areas for improvement.
"I thought our first half was quite good, we had a little more rhythm and control of the ball and maintained a fair bit of composure," said Stajcic.
"I thought second half there was a fair bit of fatigue from both teams and we had a couple of injuries – Tameka (Butt) picked up a little knock, 'KK' (Elise Kellond-Knight) was carrying a knock for the second half and that made us a little disjointed.
"We hung in there (but) Brazil put us under the pump in that last ten or 15 minutes and were looking for that second goal. I thought we lost control of the game (in the second half) and probably gave them that little bit of momentum towards the end.
"It's a good result for us and it's always fantastic to beat a world class team in Brazil. They were coming off seven wins in a row so it's not easy. The result is good (but) the performance was a little bit up and down. We will take the result now and look forward to recovering for the next game against America," concluded Stajcic.
The Westfield Matildas will continue their 2018 Tournament of Nations campaign in East Hartford, Connecticut on Sunday, 28 July (local time) against the United States at Pratt & Whitney Stadium, before rounding out the tournament against Japan at Toyota Park in Illinois on Thursday, 2 August (local time).