The Essendon Royals bounced back in style after last week’s frustrating loss to Brunswick Juventus with a commanding 6-0 victory over Glen Waverley in VPLW Round 6 at Cross Keys Reserve.
Vince Battiato’s side looked sharp from the outset and opened the scoring on 8 minutes through Filomena Delic, who tapped in a nice cross from Marie Rampal. The Royals were dominant in the first half and were awarded a penalty on 29 minutes for a handball from a Royals corner. Rebecca Davies stepped up and calmly converted the penalty to make it 2-0 at halftime.
The second half saw more of the same from the Royals as they continued to press forward with purpose. Rachel Alonso scored a beautiful volley on 56 minutes, and Ayano Koizumi turned goalscorer on 59 minutes to make it 4-0, finishing off some good work from Rampal.
Alonso got her second goal of the match on 67 minutes with a well-taken finish after a good ball from Rampal. Delic then got her second of the night in stoppage time with a close-range finish, sealing the 6-0 win for the Royals.
The victory will give the Royals a massive boost in confidence after their narrow loss last week. Despite being ruthless in front of goal, Battiato will feel his side should have scored more goals given the number of chances they created.
In the earlier kick-off, the Royals Reserves also impressed with a 7-0 victory, making it a fantastic night for the Essendon Royals at Cross Keys Reserve.