Newcastle Jets will play finals football for just the second time in their history following an emphatic 5-1 away win over Canberra United on Sunday.
Katie Stengel hit a hat-trick and Emily van Egmond bagged a brace at McKellar Park to seal the Jets’ first top four finish since the competition’s inaugural season.
Trailing 2-0 inside 25 minutes, Canberra did pull one back through Ellie Carpenter before half-time as they sought to breath life into their own Finals Series hopes.
But van Egmond and Stengel ran riot after the restart to snap a 13-game winless run in this fixture and strengthen their grip on third.
Canberra, who visit leaders Brisbane Roar next Sunday, must at least better Melbourne City’s final round result against the Jets if they’re to sneak into fourth ahead of the reigning champions.
