Easts End Thunder Streak
Words: Bree Reidy
Image: Paul Smith/SWQ Thunder FC
Eastern Suburbs Women came from behind to claim a 5-1 victory over SWQ Thunder FC Women at USQ Toara Park on Saturday.
Four goals after half time sees Easts remain second behind league leaders The Gap FC Women but with a game in hand.
Defeat ends Thunders recent run of good form and three match winning streak, leaving them sitting eighth on the ladder.
Abbey Lloyd opened the scoring early for Thunder against the run of play as she struck home a Caitlyn Stocker cross to claim her tenth goal of the season.
Easts had a chance to equalise on the half hour mark when Ashlee Watkins lost her marker only to skew her shot wide of the target.
Prolific striker Tegan Riding delivered the break through goal for the visitors six minutes before half time as she took on Thunder’s Jessica Broadfoot 1v1 and calmly slotted the ball home.
Riding then turned provider 15 minutes into the restart, picking out an unmarked Rosie Sutton to put the visitors ahead for the first time.
The premiership hopefuls later doubled their lead through Tiffany Roberts and Emma Pittman with Roberts finding her mark off a simple tap in before Pittman struck from the edge of box to make it 4-1 with 15 minutes remaining.
Riding could have added to her impressive tally this season in between Roberts and Pittmans efforts when she stepped up for an Easts penalty.
Broadfoot correctly guessed Riding’s strike to parry it away before blocking Easts follow up attempt out for a corner.
Rosie Sutton scored her second brace against Thunder for the season with eight minutes remaining after cutting back in the box for the second tap in of the game.
Speaking after the match, Thunder player Talitha Doro believes her improving side could have taken a lot more chances throughout the game.
“We probably should have scored a bit more but I think we just ran out of puff at the end,” Doro said.
Easts head coach Gareth McPherson was happy with the result but still saw room for improvement going forward.
“I’m pleased with the amount of times we did get in behind [them] but not overly pleased with the clinical finish that we have had in previous games,” McPherson said.
South West Queensland Thunder FC Women 1 (Abbey LLOYD 4')
Eastern Suburbs FC Women 5 (Tegan RIDING 39' Rosie SUTTON 60' 82' Tiffany ROBERTS 69' Emma PITTMAN 75')
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