By Lachlan Onions
INTERNATIONAL 5 d GAMBIER CENTRALS 0
ELLA Doody put in a dominant performance to guide her side to victory in Round 9 of Limestone Coast Women’s soccer.
Gambier Centrals had no answer for Doody, as she left her opponents shell-shocked and scored all five of International’s goals in a one-sided contest at Casadio Park.
Inter dictated terms early and maintained the majority of possession to begin the encounter.
A great through ball saw April Hockey run in behind the Lions’ defence and she found herself one-on-one with Centrals goalkeeper, Bronwen Mitchell.
Mitchell cleared the immediate danger but Doody was in the right place at the right time to finish off the rebound and the deadlock was broken.
The black and blue began to flex their strength and created a number of opportunities in attack.
Hockey was unfortunate to not double her side’s lead when she hit the post from a shot on the edge of the box.
After half an hour of play, Doody scored her second goal of the game and the floodgates soon opened.
Just two minutes later, Doody completed her hat-trick with a tap-in.
Mitchell saved a cross from the left but the Inter attacker was yet again in the right place to finish off the loose ball into an open goal.
On the cusp of halftime, Doody proved why she is one of the best players in the league with a brilliant piece of skill to make it 4-0.
The Inter attacker received the ball on the left wing and made an electrifying run as she dribbled past three Lions defenders before she placed her shot past the Centrals keeper.
Inter then made it 5-0 in the second half with another goal from Doody.
She is now the top goal-scorer in the competition with 14 goals, while Chelsea Frost is one behind with 13.
Inter returns to Casadio Park on Sunday where it will take on Naracoorte.
MILLICENT UNITED 1 d NARACOORTE 0
Millicent claimed its second win of the season with a narrow 1-0 victory over Naracoorte on Sunday.
United broke the deadlock through Lauren Potter and remained strong in defence to hold on for victory.
The gap to fourth has dropped to two points and Millicent will have its eyes on the last finals spot as it heads into the business end of the competition.
After a string of impressive performances, United will take on Apollo on Saturday in a contest which could have a major impact in the finals race.
BLUE LAKE 0 d/w APOLLO 0
Saturday’s clash between second and third place on the ladder reached an anti-climatic finale at Malseed Park.
The game was anticipated to be an exciting encounter between two of the stronger sides in the competition.
However, neither side was able to get on the scoresheet as both defences remained strong.
Both teams had their fair share of opportunities in a game which could have easily seen either side claim the three points.
Angela McDonough had a strong game in between the sticks and made some impressive saves to keep the Rangers goalless.
Apollo assistant coach, Paul Prentice, said the game was exciting for a 0-0 draw.
“In the first half I thought we dominated both in possession and territory but Blue Lake came out a lot stronger in the second half,” he said.
Prentice praised his side’s defence as they managed to keep the team with the best attacking record goalless.
“Our captain at the back, Bec Peters, really marshalled things,” he said.
“Zoe Brooksby was fantastic and Nop Pho Rad at right back, gave us a bit of energy out of defence.”
Blue Lake is now eight points behind Inter, while Apollo is four points ahead of the fourth-placed Lions.
The Rangers will return to action on Saturday, when they take on Centrals at MGA Park.
