Sandringham cruised into the semi-finals of the Women’s State Knockout Cup after a 4-0 win over State League 1 outfit Brighton SC on Thursday night.
A brace to Emma Runnalls coupled with single strikes to Stephanie Tanti and Hannah Stuart were enough to see off Brighton, who were unable to match their opponents on the night.
Struggling with form, Sandringham unleashed their full strength side on Brighton, as they looked to get back to winning ways before their crunch game against Boroondara Eagles on Monday night.
It took only nine minutes for the hosts to get on the scoreboard, as Emma Runnalls made the most of hesitation from Sarah Fraser-Jones in goal for Brighton, finishing coolly to the bottom corner of the net.
That goal allowed Sandringham to settle, and Brighton struggled in their 3-6-1 shape throughout the first half.
A similar opportunity as the first goal arose for Runnalls again in the 22nd minute, but this time Fraser-Jones was equal to the task, making herself big and blocking the shot.
Sandringham were looking likely to increase their lead, and made it two in the 27th minute when Stephanie Tanti picked up the ball on the edge of the box and fired in over the head of Fraser-Jones and into the back of the net.
It proved to be the last real bit of action in the first half, which really didn’t hit any real heights.
Changing to the 4-2-3-1 shape after the break, Brighton began to look more threatening, and gave Sandringham a big scare in the 52nd minute when Liana D’Amico played in a teasing cross to the back post.
Unfortunately for Kimberley Francis, the angle was too tight, and she couldn’t steer her shot on target.
As Brighton tried to push forward, they left space in behind and Runnalls capitalised on another ball over the top to make it three nil, slotting the ball past Fraser-Jones with consummate ease.
The hosts caught the visitors on the counter attack again minutes later, with Stuart breaking from midfield to find herself in on goal, and her finish went under the air-swing from the substitute goalkeeper to make it 4-0.
Sandringham could have made it five from a corner, as Christie Parton had a header that went close in the 74th minute, but in the end a series of long shots that failed to get close to goal saw out the match and secured Sandringham’s spot in the semi-final draw.
They join the likes of South Melbourne Women, Bulleen Lions and Melbourne University in the pot, one step closer to defending their title.
Team Lineups:
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Interchange:
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Scorers:
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