Perth Glory felt the absence of Sam Kerr as Makenzy Doniak’s superb hattrick led Adelaide United to a 3-1 win over the Westfield W-League leaders on Friday.
Sidelined by a leg injury, Kerr’s absence afforded room for another attacking star to shine and Doniak did just that.
The American opened the scoring inside four minutes and added a classy second just beyond the half-hour to give the hosts a comfortable two-goal cushion at the break.
Glory did receive a lifeline shortly after the restart when Reds skipper Emma Checker sliced an attempted clearance into her own net.
But Doniak’s stunning left-footed finish put the result beyond doubt in the 74th minute and sealed Adelaide’s maiden win of the season, as well as Perth’s first defeat.
This girl is on fiiiirrrrrreee! ? ? A hatrick for @makenzy_allyson secures our first win of the season! ? #ADLvPER #RemembranceRound #AUFC #ForeverUnited pic.twitter.com/QJTDRpAuGB
— AUFC Women (@AUFCWomen) November 10, 2017
STORY OF THE GAME
- Adelaide get off to a flyer as Doniak exchanges passes with Adriana Jones in the penalty area and fires into the bottom left corner.
- The visitors suffer another injury blow with Sarah Carroll forced off before half an hour.
- And their evening goes from bad to worse as Doniak strikes again, the 23-year-old out-pacing Natasha Rigby before firing low and hard across Melissa Maizels. 2-0 at the interval.
- Maizels does well to tip an Alyssa Mautz effort over the crossbar within five minutes of the resumption.
- The save proves important when, just moments later, Checker gets her clearance all wrong and turns Rachel Hill’s cross past goalkeeper Eliza Campbell.
- But Doniak spares her captain from further pain by sealing victory late on, fizzing a superb strike on the turn into the bottom right corner.
