NJL Match Report: Alonso, Sawa bag four as Royals triumph 9-0 in league opener
Four-goal hauls for Rachel Alonso and Linda Sawa highlighted a fantastic start to the State League 1 North-West campaign for the Essendon Royals Senior Women as they defeated Elwood City 9-0.
The Reserves also won by an 8-0 margin, highlighting the strength in numbers in the Royals women’s program.
The Senior Women took their brilliant pre-season form straight into the league campaign and put in an utterly dominant display on a night where, realistically, the margin could have been even bigger.
Coach Vince Battiato was without Mary Hubeek who had starred throughout pre-season, but in an awesome night that demonstrated the quality in depth right across the squad, the Royals proved there is ample quality in the squad to cover even the biggest-name absences.
Battiato picked an almost unchanged lineup from the Royals Nike FC Cup game against Calder United last week, with Sawa coming in for the absent Hubeek.
The game got off to the best possible start when Alonso bagged her first after just seven minutes, picking up the ball outside the box and producing a lovely lofted finish to beat the opposition keeper.
She had her second less than 10 minutes later, rounding the goalkeeper and beating the defenders on the line to put the Royals 2-0 up.
By the 22-minute mark, Sawa had her first to put the Royals 3-0 up, producing a lovely finish to cap off a great pass from defender Celeste Gallina.
Sawa had her second by the 39th minute, finding the top corner after connecting well with a beautiful cross from Marie Rampal, ensuring the Royals took a 4-0 lead into the break.
The second half started just as fast as the first, with Alonso bagging her hat-trick goal in the 47th minute, making no mistakes from a one-on-one situation.
It took until the 64th minute for the next goal to come, with Sawa completing her own hat-trick with a fine header to make it 6-0.
The Rampal-Sawa connection delivered the Royals’ seventh goal five minutes later, with Sawa scoring her fourth of the night with a tidy finish from a Rampal cross.
Marcela Marques got in on the scoring action in the 71st minute before Alonso finished the demo job in the 83rd minute.
The final goal summed up the relentless pressure applied by the Royals all night, despite the comfortable scoreline.
The Royals won the ball high up the park with a well-applied press, with Alonso picking up the ball, rounding the keeper to slot away her fourth of the night and the Royals’ ninth.
In the earlier kick-off, the Royals Reserves ran out 8-0 winners.
Kiana Kyriazis scored four goals for the Reserves, whilst Ivana Ovcaric bagged a brace. The other two goals for the Reserves came courtesy of Danielle Maugeri and Danielle Anderson.
Shortly after scoring, Anderson went down with what looked like a potentially serious knee injury. The Royals wish her all the best with her scans and hope for the best possible outcome.