W-League: Sydney teen bags hat-trick
Teenage Sydney FC star Caitlin Foord has bagged her maiden W-League goal hat-trick as the defending champions routed Perth Glory 8-2 at home.
Unbeaten Sydney scored four goals in each half on Sunday to continue a remarkable sequence of results against the Glory which include a competition record 11-0 win two years ago and an aggregate record 7-5 loss last season.
In just her third match back from a long injury layoff, Foord showed the class which earned the Matildas utility the young player of the tournament award at the 2011 Women’s World Cup.
She opened and closed the scoring for the Sky Blues, claiming the goal of the match late after dribbling at pace through the Glory defence for a superb individual effort.
While Sydney maintain their undefeated record, they remain five points behind leaders Melbourne Victory though with two matches in hand.
Adelaide United, wooden-spooners in each of the past three years, continued their extraordinary revival with a 2-0 home win over 2012 champions Canberra United.
Goals from Lisa-Marie Woods and Rachael Quigley inside the first 15 minutes proved enough for the Lady Reds to earn a first-ever win over Canberra.
It’s the first time Adelaide have won three matches in a season and leaves them just a point outside an unlikely semi-finals berth with five rounds remaining.
Melbourne Victory are three points clear at the top of the ladder after their hard-fought 2-0 home win over Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday.
The Victory struck the goal frame several times before eventually wrestling control from the in-form Wanderers through second-half goals from the league’s leading scorer Caitlin Friend and Beatrice Goad.
Brisbane Roar rediscovered their goalscoring form with a 6-2 win over bottom-placed Newcastle Jets to jump into second place.
Striker Emily Gielnik led the way for the Roar, scoring twice in the first half in her first starting appearance following a lengthy injury absence.