It was her first time in a sold out stadium - her first time attending a live sports match - but her name was on every jersey in the place.
Matilda Sutton is five years old and has been playing football with Newcastle Olympic in the under sixes this season.
She knows all the names of her teammates, and said they are all really nice and kind and cheer for her whenever she scores a goal.
"I like it when we score and everyone cheers," she said. "Everyone cheers and claps for us and everyone is really happy."
Most of her teammates were on the northern hill on Saturday night to cheer on the other Matildas in the friendly against Mexico, won 1-0 by the visitors in front of 23,167 spectators.
She had made a sign with a big middle cut-out that she could see through while she barracked for girls in green and gold.
"I hope they all win," she said before kick-off.
Ella Wright, another young Hunter footballer in the sea of green and gold swelling and only growing as gates opened around 6pm, had brought a sign of her own. It read: 'MEXICAN'T BEAT MACCA'.
The Lake Macquarie sixth grader, with face painted in team colours beneath a giant sombrero, had been to a few Matildas games and had a knack for weaving a pun into her supporters gear.
Mackenzie Arnold, the Matildas 2023 FIFA best goalkeeper finalist, was an inspiration, she said.
Between Arnold's defence and the weaponry of star striker Sam Kerr, she was tipping a two- or three-nil victory for the home team.
Kerr was sidelined with a knee injury when the team was last in town to face South Korea in April, more than a year ago, but coach Joe Montemurro said she was ready to be unleashed on Friday as the squad continued their sellout streak to pack McDonald Jones stadium to the rafters on Saturday night.
Homegrown talent Emily van Egmond - who returned home the most capped player in Australian football this week - and star midfielder Clare Wheeler had the safe bet this week as tickets went like hotcakes ahead of their arrival.
"It's really nice to see that we get the big crowds," van Egmond said. "But I'm obviously biased - I think Newcastle will always show up."
Sold out signs were illuminated over the box offices early on Saturday evening as more than 20,000 fans streamed into the stadium to see the Australian football favourites take on the No. 28-ranked Latin American team.
The first of two friendlies between the two nations - ahead of another clash in Sydney next week - comes as the Matildas look to a World Cup campaign in a year's time.
The Matildas have become one of the hottest tickets in Australia since a game-changing World Cup on home soil in 2023.
Crowds have always been strong in Newcastle. In April last year, a near-capacity 28,019 turned out at the Turton Road venue to watch the Matildas beat South Korea 2-0.
It was a record attendance for a Matildas match in Newcastle.
