Hearts Women returned from the international break with a bang as they thrashed Dundee United 9-0 at Oriam on Sunday.
With numerous players away on international duty during the break, Eva Olid rung the changes for the visit of the Tangerines with Charlotte Parker-Smith, Jackie Richards, Jess Broadrick and Emma Ilijoski all brought in from the start.
United would’ve arrived at Oriam fearing the worst and the early signs weren’t positive for the visitors as Hearts spurned a great opportunity to get their noses in front after just four minutes. Sade Adamolekun did the hard part by controlling Bayley Hutchison’s pass and chopping back inside before firing over the bar from close range.
Hearts were seeing plenty of the ball, but the tempo was slightly lacking, however, the chances kept coming and the post kept United’s clean sheet intact on 17 minutes. Adamolekun crossed for Hutchison and her header came back off the post with Beth Mowatt in the United goal beaten.
The women in maroon finally opened the scoring on the half hour mark, the visitors failed to clear a cross into their box and the ball dropped to Lisa Robertson, who showed good technique to volley the ball low into the back of the net.
United had largely frustrated Hearts in the first half, but it was still one-way traffic, and the second goal arrived in first half stoppage time. Emma Brownlie made good ground down the right and her low cross was tucked home by Kayla Jardine.
Half-time: Hearts 2-0 Dundee United
As comfortable as Hearts were in the first half, it looked like they hadn’t really moved out of second gear and the game was taken away from United as Hearts ramped up the pressure early in the second half.
Just 30 seconds after the interval, the game was put beyond doubt as Hutchison opened her account for the afternoon, following Waldie's through ball.
It was 4-0 just five minutes later as Robertson’s cross was deflected past Beth Mowatt by an orange jersey, before Robertson bagged her second of the afternoon from the penalty spot on 52 minutes to make it 5.
Emma Ilikoski had impressed on a rare start, and she almost added the Jambos’ sixth on the hour mark, but her effort came back off the crossbar as the United goal continued to live a charmed life.
Hutchison then took centre stage with a quickfire brace midway through the second half to secure a second half hat-trick. Firstly, the striker made a smart run in behind to latch on to Brownlie’s through ball and slotted past Mowatt, before turning home Jess Husband’s cross following a mini scramble in the penalty box.
The Jambos weren’t for stopping either and the pick of the goals arrived 14 minutes from time as substitutes Eilidh Shore and Monica Forsyth combined, with the former placing the ball expertly into the bottom corner.
Forsyth was next to get in on the act, rounding off the scoring five minutes from time. Jess Broadrick produced a lovely switch of play to pick out the wing back who was on her bike down the right and she finished past Mowatt at the near post to put the icing on the cake.
Hearts: Parker-Smith, Ilijoski (J. Husband, 67), Brownlie ©, Robertson, Waldie (Morgan, 73), Jardine (Shore, 57), Greenwood, Adamolekun (Forsyth, 57), Hutchison, Richards (Andrews, 57), Broadrick
Subs: Johnstone, Morgan, Forsyth, Shore, Wade, Andrews, E. Husband, J. Husband, Mackinlay
Dundee United: Mowatt, Frew, Cusack, Cowie ©, Moodie, Steedman, Logan, Taylor, Knight, Timlin, Hutchison
Subs: Martindale, Sidey, Christie, Osborne, Burns, Steedman
