Marist win again in W-league football
If one goal summed up Marist’s latest W-league triumph it was their fifth – of eight.
Gorgi van Lienen’s 73rd minute effort from well out came after 10 passes as Marist almost toyed with the Waterside Karori defence.
Marist’s 8-0 win at Memorial Park, Palmerston North, on Saturday cements their position at the top of the seven-team table after three wins from three games and augers well for the rest of the season.
Given the new combinations are working so well together already, double-figure winning margins aren’t out of the question.
Waterside Karori, while winless this season in two games so far, are no slouches.
But Marist utterly dominated them. They were 2-0 up at the break, before the floodgates opened in the second half.
Captain Mikaela Boxall, as is her habit, scored twice, while Jessie Falloon and sub Rubyaroha Gurnick also picked up a brace. Charlotte Noakes, too, found the back of the net.
Marist coach Barry Scullion said the first half was close enough between the two teams, although the home side were superior. ‘‘In the second half we stepped it up and they really struggled. I was pretty proud of the team performance.’’
Scullion had expected a closer encounter. ‘‘We were relentless for 90 minutes. It didn’t stop. It just kept going.
‘‘We know Karori are a good team. We didn’t expect to beat them by that big a margin.’’
Karori had a few chances to score, but Marist’s defence stood up to it. Amber Phillips is proving tough to get past and goal-keeper Brooke Bennett made a couple of saves.
Next up are fellow unbeaten team Wairarapa United, at Memorial Park this Saturday.
Scullion said he was normally fairly tough on his Marist players and always spotted areas where they could improve. This week it was difficult to pick holes.