The Strikers comfortably swept aside former ladder leaders Yarra Jets 3-0 in round three at Morshead Park on Sunday

Lulu Al-Huneidi opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a blistering strike from just inside the box, before adding another in the 28th minute.

Jordan Ivey followed suit shortly after with her first goal for the Strikers in the 36th minute. 

From that point on Ballarat strangled the Yarra Jets, depriving them of possession and subsequently stemming any momentum the Jets would build up in the second half.

There were plenty of positives to come out of the match, but it was the Strikers’ pressure that was particularly impressive.

Coach Rick Romein labelled the Strikers’ high press as “terrific” and said it was the best performance his side had put forth for the season.

“We made a very good squad look very average,” he said. “They’ve been fantastic and they’ve gone up a level.”

The Strikers looked composed in possession, playing one- and two-touch football to create space as they looked to exploit the Jets with pace. 

While the goals came in the first half, the Strikers hit the woodwork several times after the restart.

Millie Martin slotted well into defence and, along with Lily McLean, provided the home side with plenty of extra pace. 

Stand-in goalkeeper Beth Taylor was kept relatively quiet but handled anything that came her way with composure. 

The central midfield pairing of Tessa Curtain and Hannah Kozaris dom-

inated, with both Natalie Barbara and Jordan Ivey providing attacking creativity out wide. 

Alyson Pym provided the perfect foil for Al-Huneidi, with her pace and attack on the ball denying the Jets from being able to play the ball out of defence.

Earlier in the day, the Development Squad won 4-1.