Hearts Women got back to winning ways on Sunday as they thrashed Dundee United 8-0 at Foundation Park.
Manager Eva Olid freshened up her squad with eight changes from the side that faced Glasgow City during the week. Charlotte Parker-Smith, Emma Ilijoski, Sade Adamolekun, Kayla Jardine, Bayley Hutchison, Erin and Jess Husband and Jackie Richards all came into the starting line-up for the trip to the City of Discovery.
It’s been a tough start to the season for the Tangerines, who have been beaten 9-0 and 6-0 by Celtic and Hibs respectively in their opening two matches and the omens ahead of this match weren’t favourable, with Hearts having won all four league matches in the last two seasons between the sides without conceding a goal.
The early signs were also ominous for United as Hearts took the lead inside 90 seconds. Jackie Richards charged past her marker down the left wing, with her cross going all the way through for Jess Husband, who rifled the ball home at the back post.
Husband was at it again eight minutes later, bagging her and Hearts’ second of the afternoon and effectively sealing the points at this early stage. She was again in space on the right-hand side of the penalty box and was given too much time to slot home at the near post.
It was already looking like a long afternoon for United and Hearts bagged a third on 17 minutes, the first in maroon for last season’s SWPL top scorer, Bayley Hutchison. Latching onto a ball down the left channel, she kept her composure to slot home from an acute angle.
Hearts were really strutting their stuff by this point and a wonderful move almost led to a fourth shortly after, but Eilidh Shore’s effort came back off the crossbar.
The fourth goal arrived seven minutes before the break. Kayla Jardine showed good tenacity before picking out Jess Husband on the right and her low cross was lashed home at the near post by Hutchison.
The hat-trick for the striker almost arrived just three minutes later, but her effort from the edge of the box came back off the foot of the post as the United goal continued to live a charmed life.
Half-time: Dundee United 0-4 Hearts
There was an early blow for Hearts after the break as Hutchison was forced off following a collision with Beth Mowatt.
The goals kept coming for Hearts and Mowatt had a moment to forget as she let Naomi Powell’s effort from the edge of the box squirm underneath her for goal number five on 53 minutes.
Sade Adamolekun then turned on the style with a quickfire brace. Shore again was pulling the strings in midfield and her through ball was perfectly weighted for Sade, who rounded Mowatt and slotted into the empty net.
Five minutes later, Adamolekun bagged the best goal of the afternoon, receiving the ball wide right, she chopped inside, beating two orange shirts before slotting the ball home with the outside of the boot.
Charlotte Parker-Smith hadn’t been tested all afternoon, but United almost got themselves on the scoresheet as Leah Sidey switched the ball for Katie Frew and her volley came back off the foot of the post.
Hearts added an eighth with the final kick of the ball as substitute Monica Forsyth rounded off the scoring with a low shot that kissed the inside of the post. The icing on the cake of a dominant display from the women in maroon.
Hearts: Parker-Smith, Ilijoski, Brownlie © (Broadrick, 70), Shore (Greenwood, 78), Jardine, Adamolekun (Beattie, 70), Hutchison (Timms, 50), E. Husband, J. Husband, Richards (Forsyth, 70), Powell
Subs: Johnstone, Forsyth, Timms, Beattie, Wade, Greenwood, Andrews, Girasoli, Broadrick
Dundee United: Mowatt, Martindale, Sidey ©, Christie, Cowie, Moodie, McFayden, Steedman, Burns, Timlin, Hutchison
Subs: Frew, Osborne, Logan, Taylor, Knight, Steedman
