Adelaide United goalkeeper, Ilona Melegh, has been named in her first-ever senior squad for the CommBank Matildas ahead of the June FIFA International Series against Mexico. Get to know her.
Get to know the shotstopper before her first senior camp.
Starting out in SA
Melegh’s path to goalkeeping came later than most, balancing football alongside elite-level cricket before eventually being discovered by SA NTC Women’s Head Coach Michele Lastella during a grand final in Adelaide.
Inspired initially by her brother’s involvement with Cumberland United, she began by watching his training sessions before eagerly stepping in whenever an extra player was needed.
Despite coming from a family that wasn’t heavily involved in sport, her passion for football quickly grew. It was while playing for Adelaide Uni in a grand final that Lastella noticed her potential, telling her she looked, trained, and played like a goalkeeper, advice that convinced her to fully embrace the position.
“Michele Lastella saw me playing for Adelaide Uni in a grand final and picked me up from there. He said, " You look like a goalkeeper, train like a goalkeeper, and play like a goalkeeper. So I was like, well, I'm gonna go have to give it a crack. Lucky I did.”
Emerging Matildas Championships
With the CommBank 2024 Emerging Matildas Championships happening at the Home of the Matildas in Melbourne, Melegh was named U16 Goalkeeper of the Tournament after an impressive showing for her state.
Debut for CommBank Young Matildas & Adelaide United
Following a successful Emerging Championships performance in 2024, Melegh received her debut call-up for the CommBank Young Matildas ahead of their Four Nations Tournament in February 2025 in Canberra. The goalkeeper started both games for Australia, keeping a clean sheet against Vanuatu and featured against Thailand as the U20 side claimed the Four Nations Tournament trophy.
Melegh made her A-League Women's debut for Adelaide United in March 2025, after first-choice keeper Claudia Jenkins went down injured during the warm-up. The 16-year-old got a surprise start for her hometown club.
Her 2025/26 season for Adelaide United saw her make 12 appearances and record five clean sheets across the season, being named the winner of the 2025/26 Adelaide United A-League Women Rising Star Award, and helping the Reds to the elimination final.
AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup
Melegh was named to Alex Epakis' 23-player squad for the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ in April. The shotstopper started all four of Australia's games during the tournament, keeping a clean sheet against Chinese Taipei and India to start the tournament, with the Young Matildas narrowly missing out on a spot in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026™, going down 3-0 to the reigning U-20 World Cup Champions, DPR Korea, in the quarter-finals.
COMMBANK MATILDAS | JUNE 2026 | MATCH SCHEDULE
CommBank Matildas v Mexico
Date: Saturday, 6 June 2026
Kick-off: 7.15pm AEST
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
TV Broadcast: Network 10, Paramount+
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CommBank Matildas v Mexico
Date: Tuesday, 9 June 2026
Kick-off: 7.00pm AEST
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney
TV Broadcast: Paramount+ exclusive
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