Perth Glory have moved to the top of the Westfield W-League standings with a clinical 3-0 win over the Western Sydney Wanderers at Intiga Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The result sees Perth leapfrog Sydney FC into top spot, the Glory now finding themselves two points clear on 15 with a game in hand.
Marianna Tabain opened the scoring in the 18th minute with an attempted cross that found the back of the net after Kate Gill’s efforts to get on the end of it hindered Wanderers’ goalkeeper Thora Helgadottir from reaching the ball.
The lead was doubled just eight minutes later when Collette McCallum played through Rosie Sutton, whose assist was tapped in by Gill from three metres.
McCallum added some polish for Perth in the 60th minute when she curled a 25-yard free kick into the top right-hand corner of the Western Sydney goal.
Gill, though, was guilty of squandering a number of opportunities to score and put the game to bed before half-time.
Just before her goal, she was found unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box, but blasted her volley straight into the bar.
The Perth striker also put a header from just inside the six-yard box over the goal.
An Aivi Luik strike from the edge of the 18-yard box also grazed the outside of the Wanderers goal just before the break as Perth continued to push for a third goal.
Western Sydney only recorded three shots for the first half with just one of those on target.
Louise Thor’s shot from the edge of the 18-yard box on the stroke of half-time was the one on target, but her strike was straight at Perth goalkeeper Carly Telford.
There was a small break in play just before half-time when Helgadottir received treatment on a left leg injury and was replaced by Elizabeth Durack at the break.
Perth appeared to take their foot off the pedal late in the first half and early in the second, which allowed Western Sydney to work their way into their match.
However, their moves forward failed to look particularly threatening as they struggled to turn their possession in the final third into a clear-cut chance.
The game also petered out over the last 20 minutes as both teams resigned themselves to the result, but not before Durack made a firm two-handed save off a Tabain strike to prevent further disaster for the visitors.
Perth 3 (Tabain 18, Gill 26, McCallum 60)
Western Sydney 0
Perth 1. Carly Telford (GK), 3. Carys Hawkins, 4. Bronwyn Studman (5. Shannon May 68), 6. Sasha Andrews, 7. Aivi Luik, 9. Rosie Sutton, 11. Lisa de Vanna (13. Elisa D’Ovidio 78), 12. Kathryn Gill, 14. Collette McCallum (c) (8. Ella Mastrantonio 81), 15. Elizabeth Milne, 17. Marianna Tabain. Bench: 5. Shannon May, 8. Ella Mastrantonio 13. Elisa D’Ovidio.
Western Sydney 2. Samantha Speckman, 3. Alexandra Huynth, 5. Olivia Kennedy, 8. Vanessa Hart, 9. Sarah Walsh (c) (Jessica Seaman 81),10. Servet Uzunlar, 11. Louise Fors, 13. Catherine Cannuli, 14. Tudy Camilleri (16. Linda O’Neill 61), 15. Teigen Allen, 20. Thora Helgadottir (GK) (1. Elizabeth Durack 45) Bench: 1. Elizabeth Durack (GK), 6. Racheal Souta, 12. Jessica Seaman, 16. Linda O’Neill
