NJL Match Report: Goals galore at Cross Keys as Royals run riot
It was a busy night for DJ Ari whose play button got a good workout as the goals flew in at Cross Keys.
Essendon Royals were dominant on all fronts at Cross Keys Reserve on Friday night, scoring 38 goals in 180 minutes of football against Craigieburn City FC.
The Reserves whet the appetite of the Cross Keys crowd with a 26-0 win in the opening game, before the Seniors put in an equally dominant display that saw the ladies finish with a 12-0 win.
On a night where the incredible depth of the Royals’ women’s football program showed its force, the reality is that both sides might have scored even more.
Craigieburn, to its credit, did not stop working all night and ought to be commended for their efforts on a night where a number of their juniors were asked to step up and face two of the league’s most in-form sides.
In the seniors, Mary Hubeek and Rebecca Davies enjoyed a goal-fest, finishing with a hat-trick each on a memorable night for the Royals strike force.
The other goals were shared between Rachel Alonso, Cat Ioannidis, Sarah Karlik, Marcela Marques, Marie Rampal and Linda Sawa.
Karlik got the ball rolling with her first goal for the club after just four minutes. Hubeek made it it 2-0 in the eighth minute, with Davies scoring her first in the 12th minute.
Marques scored in the 20th minute, before Davies had the ball in the back of the net again 60 seconds later, adding her second after 21 minutes to shoot the Royals into a 5-0 lead.
Hubeek made it 6-0 after 25 minutes, with Sawa following up at the half-hour mark.
Alonso was next on the scoresheet, hitting the back of the net in the 38th minute, as Ioannidis made it 9-0 on the stroke of half-time.
The rout continued in the second half, as Davies opened the scoring just five minutes into the half for her third and the Royals 10th.
Hubeek completed her hat-trick in the 74th minute, with the rampant Rampal making it 12-0 with six minutes to play.
The Royals have now won three on the trot in the senior competition, keeping the pressure on the teams above them.
The Reserves were utterly dominant from first to last in the earlier kick-off as they maintained their 100% start to the season with a sixth-straight win.
With plenty of youth in the side, perhaps the highlight of the night was a seven-goal haul and several assists for 14-year-old Lola Ferrante, who has been playing with the Reserves out of the club’s under-16 youth team.
She was joined with seven goals by Ivana Ovcaric, continuing her amazing run of form in front of goal.
Kiana Kyriazis was the other stand-out performer in front of goal and netted six goals, with two to Bruna Silva and further goals to Zoe Schaffner, Isabella Santilli and Stephanie Gouder.