Sydney FC has moved into second spot on the Westfield W-League ladder after recording a convincing 6-2 victory against Adelaide United in wintry conditions at Hindmarsh Stadium on Saturday.
The Sky Blues led 3-0 at half-time and extended their advantage after the break when captain Heather Garriock scored her second goal at the 74th minute.
United lost the game in the opening 30 minutes but worked hard and was rewarded in the second half.
Racheal Quigley’s golden run continued with a second-half brace increasing her tally to five goals over the past four matches.
The blustery conditions and sporadic showers made it difficult to produce quality football and the game unravelled with the final whistle looming – Quigley, Brittany Whitfield and Kyah Simon all found the back of the net during second-half injury time.
Sydney made an impressive start to the contest with three goals in a hurry.
At the eighth minute Sarah Walsh beat the off-side trap, calmly kept possession of the ball before beating goalkeeper Sian McLaren with a low shot.
The visitors’ advantage was doubled two minutes later when a surprised Garriock went to cross but found the back of the net from long range.
Another dissecting pass set the Sky Blues up for their third score and Leena Khamis, who was flanked by the unattended Walsh, had plenty of time to size up the goals from the top of the box.
It was a disastrous opening for the Lady Reds who were regularly stripped of the ball in the midfield, lacked hardness in defence and couldn’t find a target when crossing the ball into attack.
But to their credit they did lift their intensity and desperation and were working hard with a gale blowing against them.
The home side continued to persist but it was the visitors who struck first after the break. Garriock took possession in the box, whipped the ball across her body and into the right corner of the net.
At the 82-minute mark Quigley got on the end of a corner kicked and had no trouble hammering the bouncing ball home to give the Lady Reds their first highlight.
The game then featured a productive injury time with Whitfield volleying in a Garriock cross, Quigley finishing off a Lauren Chilvers pass while Simon jagged one at the very end for Sydney.
Adelaide United 2 (Quigley 82, 90)
Sydney FC 6 (Walsh 8, Garriock 10, 74, Khamis 26, Whitfield 90, Simon 90)
