Melbourne City has recorded a resounding 5-0 win away to Adelaide United to extend our lead at the top of the A-League Women’s table.
Daniela Galic’s first-half hattrick took the headlines as we scored five goals for a second consecutive match.
Team News
Dario Vidosic was forced into one change to his XI after Emina Ekic wasn’t fit to start due to picking up a niggle in her Player of the Match performance against Brisbane.
Leticia McKenna returned to the XI as a result, while Ekic was named among the substitutes.
Starting XI: 44. Lysianne PROULX (GK), 3. Naomi CHINNAMA, 13. Rebekah STOTT (C), 5. Taylor OTTO, 7. Julia GROSSO, 14. Laura HUGHES, 6. Leticia McKENNA, 10. Rhianna POLLICINA, 17. Hannah WILKINSON.
Substitutes: 23. Melissa BARBIERI (GK), 11. Emina EKIC, 16. Karly ROESTBAKKEN, 19. Tijan McKENNA, 22. Bryleeh HENRY.
What happened?
It was a slow start on a warm day at Marden Sports Complex, the clock hitting 10 minutes just before we fashioned the first chance of the day.
A smart ball over the top from Naomi Chinnama slipped Daniela Galic in behind the defence, but her 1-on-1 effort was well saved by Annalie Grove.
It was a sign of the things to come for the remainder of the half as Galic well and truly took control.
Julia Grosso found her in space on the left-hand side of the box but she still had plenty of work to do, beating her defender and then curling the opener into the far corner.
We grabbed hold of the momentum and almost made it two just minutes later, Rhianna Pollicina whipping in a good cross but at full stretch, Hannah Wilkinson saw her effort go over the bar.
Rebekah Stott found the run of Kaitlyn Torpey with a well-weighted ball over the top of the defence in the 27th minute, the full-back turned winger then driving forward and putting it on a platter for Galic’s second.
Roles were reversed just moments later, Galic whipping in a cracker of a ball to the back-post for Torpey to coolly tap home.
Torpey would claim another assist as Galic completed her hattrick, playing the 17-year-old through who finished calmly past the keeper in the 34th minute.
The second half wouldn’t quite reach the heights of the first, Adelaide content to drop numbers behind the ball which meant we could find little space in attack.
Vidosic made a trio of substitutions on the hour mark, introducing Karly Roestbakken, Bryleeh Henry and Tijan McKenna.
Henry had a great chance right after entering the pitch but saw her effort well-saved by Grove.
City controlled the remaining exchanges well and despite not creating as much as the first half, afforded Adelaide little at the other end.
There would be one goal left in the game though, Hannah Wilkinson joining the party in the final ten minutes to net her fifth of the season.
Laura Hughes slipped a pass-through from midfield and after receiving, Wilkinson turned her defender and curled a well-placed finish out of Grove’s reach to make it 5-0.
What’s next?
Ahead on the agenda is a trip to Sydney for next weekend’s Unite Round. We’ll face Western Sydney in a Sunday evening clash that kicks off at 5:00pm
