NJL Match Report: Rampant Royals hit Keilor Park for six
Essendon Royals enjoyed a dominant 6-0 win over Keilor Park at Cross Keys on Friday night as they remain on the path to promotion to the Victorian Women’s Premier League.
The win puts the Royals on top of the table until at least Sunday, where they could remain depending on the result between Brunswick Juventus and FC Clifton Hill.
An utterly dominant Royals team could have won by a double-figure margin on the night, such was the quality and consistency of chances created.
The watertight defence of Marie Rampal, Theothora Dimitropoulos, Celeste Gallina and Sarah Karlik provided brilliant protection for stand-in keeper and captain Marcela Marques, whilst the midfield quartet of Annabel Hosking, Priscilla Ribas, Jacinta Da Cruz and Rachel Alonso allowed the Royals to control the game.
Stand-out midfielder Lydia Schifferegger suffered a bad injury early in the first half, which cut her contribution to the game short.
Up front, the tireless running of Linda Sawa and Mary Hubeek caused the Keilor Park defence endless problems.
After a strong start, it only took 13 minutes for the Royals to hit the lead with Hosking bundling home a Rachel Alonso corner.
Hubeek doubled the lead at the 36-minute mark, muscling off some pretty physical attention from her defender before curling the ball into the top corner.
Sawa made it 3-0 on the stroke of half-time, peeling away from her defender to send home a beautiful header.
In the second half, the Royals continued to dominate, with Hosking scoring her second of the night on the 55th minute, finding herself in the right place at the right time to sweep home from close range.
Alonso added her customary goal with a well-placed free-kick in the 65th minute.
The final goal came courtesy of another fine Hubeek finish in the 69th minute.
The Royals had more chances, most notably a thumping effort from Rampal that crashed into the bar, but the six-goal margin proved more than enough for the Royals.
In the earlier kick-off, the Royals Reserves were at their dominant best as they coasted to a 10-1 win over Keilor Park.
The win ensures the Royals will have a minimum six-point margin on second-placed Clifton Hill with two games to play, and with a goal difference better by more than 80 goals, the championship has well and truly been sealed.
The Reserves featured no less than three different hat-trick heroes.
Ivana Ovcaric, Kiana Kyriazis and Katerina Tsalikidis all finished the game with three goals, with Lola Ferrante also on the scoresheet.
Both teams were cheered on by family, friends, sponsors and a sizeable contingent of junior girls as the Royals women continue to inspire our next generation of female footballers.