An electric attacking display from the Kingborough Lions has seen them overcome some early resistance and blow away South Hobart in a dominant 6-1 win.
A midfield masterclass from Zoe Horgan and strong performances from the forward trio of Samantha Watkins, Amy Ollington and Emille Tatton helped the Lions to break the game open after a fairly even opening half an hour. South held their own in the early exchanges, but two first-half goals in two minutes gave the Lions the lead and the momentum to run away with the game after the break.
It took just 15 seconds to see the first shot of the game and that set the pace for the rest of the afternoon as both sides had their chances early. While the Lions had more of the possession from the outset, South looked dangerous on the break with Niki Moutsatsos and Charlotte Ingram finding space down the wings.
The Lions may have had grounds to complain after having a penalty shout waved away, with Ollington seemingly cut down from behind in the area. It mattered not soon after, though, as they snatched the ascendancy with a stunning two-minute burst.
It started with Tatton as she skipped past her marker and slid a lovely through ball to Watkins on the left. Inside the area but facing a very tight angle, she hit a chip that beat South goalkeeper Georgia McMullen in the air and nestled into the opposite side netting for the opening goal.
Just two minutes later the Lions doubled their lead, and again it was Tatton that created the chance. After getting the ball on the right she played it into the middle for Ollington, who took her first touch sandwiched between defenders and with McMullen rapidly advancing. Despite that pressure she somehow squeezed away a shot that went over the 'keeper and in to make it 2-0.
After looking solid at the back and composed on the ball, conceding seemed to completely rattle South Hobart. The rest of the first half was all the Lions, and they could have easily gone into the break even further ahead. Watkins forced a diving save from McMullen with a stinging shot, while Ollington was only denied her second by a brilliant goal-line block from Eleni Moutsatsos.
South managed to make it to the half-time whistle unscathed though, and shortly after the restart they pulled a goal back against the run of play. A trademark run down the left from Ingram ended with a cross low and hard to the back post, where it was met by a tidy finish from Niki Moutsatsos. There was some confusion during the buildup as the assistant referee's flag went up for offside, but it was waved away by the man in the middle and the goal was counted.
If South thought a goal would slow down the visitors they were sorely mistaken, as the Lions killed the game off as a contest with a phenomenal 15 minutes of attacking football. It started just four minutes after South's goal with one of the more bizarre plays in recent memory, as a thumping Watkins strike deflected off the crouching Hanna Manuela, looped over the goalkeeper's head and settled in the back of the net.
They had their fourth just before the hour mark, and it was the usual suspects combining to make it happen. A brilliant through ball from Horgan found Watkins on the wing, and she carried to the byline before cutting back a low cross into the middle. Ollington again won the ball under some pressure but was able to slide a shot into the bottom corner to seal her brace.
After setting up most of her side's play throughout the game Horgan scored a well-deserved goal of her own, as she received the ball just above the penalty spot and with time to shoot. Her effort was parried by McMullen but still looped over the goalkeeper's head and in.
Still not content even with her name on the scoresheet, Horgan set up another two minutes later after winning the ball on the left wing. Her cross traveled across the penalty area and all the way to Watkins at the back post, and she was able to bang a shot home off the woodwork for her second of the day.
After four goals in 12 minutes and with a five-goal lead in hand, the Lions finally eased their foot off the gas in the game's dying moments. The last 20 minutes ticked by with much less action than the 20 minutes previous, as the Lions continued to dominate the possession but were content to hold the ball rather than drive it forward.
South pushed until the final whistle but couldn't overcome the class of the Lions, and when the final whistle sounded the 6-1 scoreline reflected that fact. The result keeps the Lions in the hunt for a top three finish, while South stay level on points with Clarence at the foot of the table.