BALLARAT Eureka Strikers secured another emphatic win in women’s state league one, this time over a hapless Cairnlea.
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The Strikers cruised to a 6-1 victory over last year’s premier division relegation outfit at Morshead Park on Sunday.
Ballarat broke the deadlock in the third minute when Alyson Pym forced Cairnlea’s keeper into a mistake, allowing Lulu Al-Huneidi to blast one in from the top of the box.
Al-Huneidi returned the favour 10 minutes later when she won the ball in the attacking third and found Pym in space, who broke through with pace and put away a well-executed strike.
Hannah Kozaris and Al-Huneidi combined in the 20th minute for another when the latter found the back of the net with a looping header.
The Strikers maintained a 3-0 lead into the break, only for Cairnlea to peg one back less than 10 minutes after the restart.
However, the visitors’ resurgence didn’t last long, with Al-Huneidi bringing up her hat-trick – the second in two weeks – just minutes later.
Tessa Curtain and Claire Demuth continued the rout with goals in the closing stages.
Ballarat sits outright second on the table, two points behind North Geelong Warriors and one point ahead of the University of Melbourne.
The Strikers face Brighton on the road on Sunday.