South Melbourne’s 2014 title defence got off to the best start possible as they claimed a 3-1 win over a plucky Senior NTC outfit.
The match was scoreless to half-time, but goals to Carol Howes, Brittany Dudley-Smith and Tiff Eliadis were enough to overcome the youngsters, whose only goal of the afternoon came through Emily Harbis.
Former Casey forward Dudley-Smith was in stellar form, proving an ample like-for-like swap for Laura Spiranovic at the head of the South attacking outlet.
She was squared up in the ninth minute by 2014 Gold Medal winner Tiff Eliadis, but her tame effort was well pounced on by keeper Erin Hudson.
Dudley-Smith was then presented with a glorious double chance, but she saw her second effort fly over the bar after forcing a low save from Hudson initially.
The forward continued to make a nuisance of herself, rattling the crossbar on the hour mark after Eliadis slipped her in with a clever reverse ball.
Few chances fell at the other end, but when they did, South keeper Karlie Leclair was happy to step up to the challenge.
Harbis, who rotated off the bench, fired a 30-yard effort into the diving hands of American import Leclair, and it proved a warning sign of what she was capable of.
NTC came even closer after the break, as player of the match Nat Martineau tracked back in her new fullback role to clear Whitney Knight’s shot off the line.
In a cruel twist of fate, South soon had their first of the afternoon, as midfielder Howes hit a perfectly weighted chip over the head of Hudson.
The NTC keeper was unfortunate in the nature of the goal as she fractionally under-hit a clearance, before being left in no man’s land.
Canadian Martineau provided the second for South as she overlapped on the right side before unselfishly laying the ball off for Dudley-Smith, who deserved a goal for her work rate.
The game blew back open again when Harbis hit back at a dominant South with a wonder goal of her own; striking clean from the left flank all the way to the right post and in.
But a late Eliadis free-kick, a stunner from 30-yard’s, put to bed any chance of a comeback as South marched towards back-to-back titles.
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South Melbourne 3 (Howes 53′, Dudley Smith 68′, Eliadis 90+1′) defeated Senior NTC 1 (Harbis 75′) at Broadmeadows Valley Park
South Melbourne: 1. Karlie Leclair, 2. Natalie Martineau, 3. Jade Feakes, 4. Alex Cheal, 13. Marianna Anthony, 6. Alison Baker, 8. Carol Howes, 10. Tiffany Eliadis, 9. Brittany Dudley-Smith, 7. Rhea Schreuder, 11. Saphri Lines
Rotation: 30. Sarah Sumner, 14. Natalie Brajanovski, 18. Caitlin Greiser, Jenna Ibrahim
Yellow Card(s): Nil
Red Card(s): Nil
Senior NTC: 1. Erin Hudson, 3. Natasha Dakic, 4. Liv Ellis, 6. Adriana Taranto, 8. Melissa Taranto, 9. Joey Cartwright, 10. Lexi Anastassiou, 11. Whitney Knight, 13. Annabel Martin (c), 14. Edith Fordyce-Croker, 15. Akeisha Sandhu
Rotation: 12. Hayley Richmond, 25. Melindaj Barbieri, 31. Coby McInerney, 33. Ashleigh Lefevre, 7. Emily Harbis
Yellow Card(s): Nil
Red Card(s): Nil