The Ladies were looking to continue their unbeaten run in the Waikato C division as they welcomed the league leaders (on goal difference) Waikato Unicol to the Domain in the third of their four home games to start the league.
The Ladies planned to get off to a quick start as they faced a side who had put 10 goals in in their first 2 games. And that was exactly what they achieved. Fleur Weaver struck from outside the box over a despairing keeper to give the Swifts an early lead. And it wasn’t long before 1 became 2, and 2 became 3. Tasha Saw was rewarded for chasing a through ball and pressuring the keeper while Kate Smitstra placed one into the corner of the goal from just inside the box to really settle the nerves and allow the Swifts to control the game.
There was no let up in pressure from the Ladies side as they looked to attack from all angles. There was plenty of possession for the Swifts and they found large areas of space in behind the Unicol defence. With both sides beginning to tire before the break, Morgan Norris was able to inject some fresh legs into the game and she was rewarded with her first goal as Matamata took a 4-0 lead into half-time.
The call was for more of the same in the second spell. Unicol did come out quickly to begin the half, but were unable to sustain pressure with the defensive line and Ana Paterson in goal keeping things tidy. With players beginning to tire the Swifts were able to add some icing to the cake as Kate Smitstra added her second with some quick thinking (the Unicol keeper making the fatal mistake of turning her back on the ball) while Annemieke Verstraten found her first. Unicol did manage a late consolation with a good finish from range, but the Matamata bench were also keen for goals and they were able to add 2 more to give the Swifts a resounding 8-1 win and move them clear at the top of the table.
The Ladies will be happy with their current position after a tough year in the B division last year, but will have to remember that, with a large string of away games to come, and a number of the opposition sides likely to be stronger at home, there are still plenty of challenges to come. Player of the day was shared this week between Smitstra and Chloe Verstraten, playing on the right, who combined well all day in creating plenty of opportunities.