Utd women post club record score

A-LEAGUE Women’s leaders Western United have scored their biggest-ever win and avenged a recent shock loss to Newcastle with a 6-0 away thumping of the Jets.

United were 4-0 up by halftime and Newcastle contested most of the game with just 10 players after defender Emily Garnier was sent off in the 18th minute.

Garnier, who had been booked four minutes earlier, was shown a straight red after she shoved Adriana Taranto in the back as she was bearing down on goal.

The huge win, United’s sixth in seven games outside Victoria, again moved them six points clear of Sydney FC.

United lifted their goal difference above the Sky Blues, who have two games in hand and will host the Green and Black next week.

Western, who lost 2-0 to the Jets in Ballarat on 8 February, travelled to Sunday’s game without head coach Mark Torcaso, who had a calf injury.

But the team produced a high-quality performance under assistant coach, Helen Winterburn.

“The girls really were up for the game today, we owed Newcastle one for when they came down to Ballarat,” Winterburn said.

“In terms of the girls coming out, and the game plan, they did exactly what we asked of them and put out a really fantastic performance across the 90 minutes.”

United striker Kahli Johnson, who had taken more shots this season without scoring a goal than any other ALW player, took just six minutes on Sunday to break her drought and could have finished the game with at least four.

She thumped the ball in from close range after a good cross from Hannah Keane following a quickly taken free kick.

United piled on three goals in a 10-minute period late in the half.

Johnson, returning from a Young Matildas camp, doubled her tally in the 34th minute as she cut inside after a strong run down the left and squeezed her shot in from a tight angle.

“She [Johnson] was just on it and I’m so pleased for her, she really deserved those two goals and she had a fantastic game,” Winterburn said.

Jets goalkeeper Georgina Worth scored an unfortunate own goal in the 38th minute when she punched a corner from Tyla-Jay Vlajnic into the net under pressure from Taranto.

Worth partially redeemed herself by blocking three Johnson shots inside a couple of seconds, but she couldn’t stop a 44th minute screamer from Vlajnjic, which rocketed into the roof of the net.

Substitute Danielle Steer popped up at the far post to score United’s fifth, 10 minutes after halftime.

ALW leading scorer Keane notched her 11th of the season when she smashed United’s sixth in the 78th minute after a good free-kick routine.

Tenth-placed Newcastle, who conceded five goals in three previous games this season, had several shots on goal, with Lara Gooch especially threatening.

– BY ADRIAN WARREN/ AAP