Heidelberg United have continued their ascent up the Women’s Premier League ladder, moving up to fifth place with a 6-0 victory over South Yarra.
Julia Nicolaci led the line with a brace, while Anisa Guajardo, Michelle Verzi, Elise Mamanu-Gray and Sadie Murphy also got in on the act.
After a minute’s silence was observed, Heidelberg got straight to work, with Nicolaci finding Christy Zwolski for a shot that Yarra’s custodian Sharon Walsh held on the second attempt.
Up the other end, Ashley Ledoux and Maddison Wheatley-Harris were pressuring the hosts’ defensive line, almost forcing a turnover in the front third as Christine Fonua played the ball out with Laura Phillips and Demi Mihaloudis.
Guajardo was menacing early, picking up the ball from a throw-in, turning and running up the wing and into the box, but Walsh pounced on the final touch before the Mexican could get a shot away.
The visitors almost had a sight on goal when Katherine Foster won the ball with a sliding challenge on the wing, but her delivery in the box just evaded Wheatley-Harris.
After the initial exhanges, the Bergers opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Guajardo went on another mazy run down the wing and crossed in a pinpoint ball for Nicolaci to head home from point blank range.
The next goal came six minutes later when a cross from the left was headed down by Mamanu-Gray into the path of Verzi, who smashed the ball into the back of the net.
South Yarra kept looking lively on the break and had another nearly moment when a one-two between Foster and Eliza Mealin saw a squaring ball bobble past the former in the box, who couldn’t get a shot away.
For all their endeavours, the third goal would have been a disappointment to the visitors, as Mihaloudis’ corner was headed in by an unmarked Mamanu-Gray.
Heidelberg were ruthless after the break, scoring immediately when left-back Murphy volleyed in a goal after Yarra again failed to clear their lines from a corner.
For the proceeding 15 minutes, the visitors had to contend with a number of long distance shots from Mamanu-Gray, Guajardo and Ellie Gavalas, none of which troubled Walsh too much.
Guajardo’s next effort had a sense of deja vu to it, as the forward received a ball from a throw in and skinned a defender, but this time composed herself and drove a goal in at the near post.
Bill Mihaloudis brought on Kelsey Quinn for some game time in her return from injury, but the ‘keeper had little to contend with, as a free kick won by Gretel Templeton saw Madeline Jona’s subsequent set-piece cleared away the Heidelberg defence.
The next passage of play saw one of the most bizzare incidents of the contest.
In one of Heidelberg’s best flowing move of the day, a string of passes started at the back by Lisa Fonua involved interplay between a number of Bergers from left to right.
But as Guajardo unleashed a shot following a scramble in the box, the ball beat Walsh and struck Zwolski on the line, who not only denied a certain goal, but was also flagged offside to allow Yarra to restart play.
The Bergers would score their sixth goal eventually, as Nicolaci drove in a bullet from distane that Walsh got a hand to, but couldn’t stop from bulging the net.
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Heidelberg United 6 (Nicolaci 20′ 85′, Verzi 26′, Mamanu-Gray 39′, Murphy 48′, Guajardo 65′) defeated South Yarra 0 at Olympic Village
Heidelberg United: 21. Christine FONUA (GK) (1. Kelsey QUINN 63′), 2. Demi MIHALOUDIS, 4. Michelle VERZI (40. Hannah RYAN 67′), 6. Laura PHILLIPS, 10. Julia NICOLACI, 11. Aneta KOMIJAT (22. Ellie GAVALAS 34′), 15. Lisa FONUA, 18. Sadie MURPHY, 38. Christy ZWOLSKI, 45. Elise MAMNU-GRAY (7. Marguerite Eudes 72′), 50. Anisa GUAJARDO
Unused Substitute(s): 9. Belinda PANELLA
South Yarra: 1. Sharon WALSH, 2. Hayley WALKINSHAW, 3. Jennifer WESTHAGEN, 4. Madeline JONA, 6. Hannah CHARMAN, 8. Katherine FOSTER, 5. Priscilla RIBAS, 10. Ashley LEDOUX (12. Megan LORKIN 71′), 7. Eliza MEALIN, 11. Maddison WHEATLEY-HARRIS (14. Gretel TEMPLETON 57′, 13. Claire IMRAY 87′), 9. Marcela MARQUES
Unused substitutes: Elle Voulgaris
Yellow Card: Charman 33′