Ayres is back

Melina Ayres was welcomed back into the starting line-up after she scored two of Melbourne’s goals in Round 11 against Canberra United.

The 20-year-old hasn’t been getting many minutes on the park so far this season, but she made her way into the starting line-up for today’s match and certainly didn’t waste her opportunity to shine.

Ayres is no stranger to scoring goals at Lakeside Stadium, and today was a similar story.

She scored her first goal of the season 31 minutes into the match and doubled her tally only eight minutes after that.

Darian Jenkins crossed the ball into the path of Ayres for a cool finish, with Natasha Dowie setting up the second goal for the youngster who sent the ball into the bottom right corner.

Ayres played with plenty of drive and confidence, getting into good positions to receive the ball in space and making intelligent movements off the ball.

Ayres played a vital role in picking up the three points today, putting Melbourne on the right path in the build-up to finals.

Victory fans will be hoping that Jeff Hopkins welcomes Ayres back into the starting eleven after such a stellar performance – she’s got plenty to prove.