The go-to player of the Matildas attack admitted afterwards: "it was one of those ones that you know is going in, but that keeper (Zhao Lina) is 6 foot tall, so I was hoping she didn't get there".

It speaks to the remarkable freedom and confidence that Australia's marquee forward is playing with that she just knew she was going to hit the target. Her teammates are feeding off that confidence, says midfielder Emily van Egmond, and Kerr herself is happy to keep enjoying her football and taking her game to another level.

"I started playing the game because I enjoyed it ... when I go away from having fun on the field, it's when I get too serious. I am really enjoying myself as we are winning," said Kerr.

She puts her new-found consistency and improvement down to maturity.

"I have grown up. I started in the Matildas when I was 15, I am 24, so this is my ninth year, It's something I am working on, being a consistent player, a leader and a true professional. But it's not just me, everyone has stepped up.

"I wanted to just be a consistent player. I want to be someone that my teammates can rely on, and I think just keeping a cool head and enjoying myself and not letting the pressure get to me.

"Sometimes when you are young and you are out on the field and you are not really focussing on playing ... now I am trying to really be in the moment."

Of her first goal on the night - a first half header from a van Egmond corner - Kerr said: "it was a great ball by Emily, it was something we practice, I knew it was coming back post, I just tussled with her (the Chinese defender) and I knew if I could get my head on it anywhere in that six yard box it would go in."

Kerr, along with van Egmond, stresses that it is the depth in the squad that has wrought Australia's improvement.

"I think it's the strongest and the most depth that I have ever seen in the Matildas," she said, while van Egmond added: "Staj (coach Alen Stajcic) said he wanted to create more depth, and he has, and it makes for a better training environment. Every time you come into the national team set up, no-one is safe, and that's what you want, a highly competitive environment ... it's also partly why we are having success."

Kerr is an unabashed fan of midfielder van Egmond, whose calm presence and tactical awareness allowed her to control the game for Australia on Wednesday night.

"She's my roomie so I can't give her too much praise," she joked. "Em's good, I have grown up with her, she's my best mate.

"She doesn't get enough recognition for what she does, she sits back there and controls the game, I think that's the joy of being a striker, you score a goal and you get talked about. But midfielders, defenders, they don't get enough recognition and they are the spine of the team."

Van Egmond agrees that this has been a breakout year for the Matildas because the fruits of several years' development are starting to bloom.

"We have had a lot of time to mature as a team, a lot of us were brought in young under Tom Sermanni, now we are in our mid twenties. We are a very tight group, we have played in the youth teams together. You are now starting to see a lot of girls going abroad and getting a lot of experience that way as well, it's only helping them individually and also the national team."

Wednesday night marked the Matildas' sixth win in a row, and van Egmond is keen to make it seven on Sunday in the second game against China in Geelong.

"I think overcoming a powerhouse like America (a win earlier in the year) was a huge step in the right direction for us. Ever since that tournament, something has clicked for us.

"I think tonight we showed a good performance, but we can go up another gear, and I think we will be looking to do that in Geelong.

"Sam is flying at the moment, it's awesome to see for her and the team. She is a great player and at the moment she is definitely considered one of the best strikers, so it's awesome to have her alongside us. Her confidence is rubbing up alongside us."