First-half exploits ease Cherries past Sirens
AFC Bournemouth
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An impressive first-half showing paved the way for AFC Bournemouth to register a 4-0 win over National League counterparts Southampton Women on Thursday.
The Cherries turned on the style and reached the break leading 4-0 thanks to goals from Gemma Hillier, Molly Barron-Clark, Lucy Cooper and Maisy Smith.
Hillier, foiled by Sirens goalkeeper Sara Luce early on, opened the scoring with a composed finish after latching on to a defence-splitting pass from Katie James in the sixth minute.
The Cherries skipper added her sixth goal of the season with a low drive into the bottom corner after James’s raking through ball had carved open the hosts’ defence.
Katie Scadding raced off her line to beat Sirens captain Laura Vokes to a ball over the top before Alisha Buckingham’s angled effort was saved by Luce.
Barron-Clark doubled the Cherries’ lead with a trademark stunning goal in the tenth minute, the midfielder’s thunderous shot from the edge of the post giving Luce no chance.
It brought up a memorable personal hat-trick for Barron-Clark who also netted spectacular goals in the Cherries’ two previous games against Portishead Town and Bridgwater United.
Kelci Bowers’s clever interception and pass set up Cooper for the Cherries’ third, the striker firing emphatically past Luce for her 19th of the season in the 14th minute.
Smith arrived at the far post to meet Barron-Clark’s precise cross with a firm header which made it 4-0 to the visitors midway through the first half.
As the Cherries scented more goals, Chloe Gilroy fired narrowly wide following a sharp turn and shot before Bowers’s long-range drive was scooped up by Luce.
Kenni Thompson’s free-kick through a crowd of players was saved by Luce at the start of the second half before Erin Bloomfield headed James’s cross over the top.
Sirens' substitute goalkeeper Leah Etheridge made a smart save to keep out Smith's effort before Bloomfield lifted her shot over the crossbar.
AFC Bournemouth: Scadding, Bowers, Smith, Venditto (Jones, 54), James, Barron-Clark (Treweek, 50), Hillier, Buckingham (Butler, 59), Gilroy, Cooper (Bloomfield, 59), Thompson (McGuinness, 54).
