Dundee United 0 Hibs Women 5
Hibs continued their remarkable unbeaten league run with an emphatic victory against Dundee United at Foundation Park.
A game contested between sides with contrasting fortunes this season; Poppy Lawson opened the scoring with a terrific strike before Abbie Ferguson doubled the lead within minutes. Kirsten Reilly curled in a free-kick before the break, with Kirsty Morrison and Eilidh Adams adding to the score in the second half.
Head coach Grant Scott made two alternations to his starting XI after Sunday’s impressive 6-0 victory against Spartans. Noa Schumacher replaced Erin Clachers between the sticks, while Ferguson was also restored in place of Kirsty Morrison.
Looking to make it 10 unbeaten in the league, Hibs pulled no punches early in the game. Adams and Hunter both fired wide, before Beth Rennie kept out another Adams shot following some smart play from Michaela McAlonie.
With United already struggling to contain the visitors, Poppy Lawson got the first goal of the evening with a thunderous strike from 25 yards — firing a rocket into the top corner shortly before 15 minutes.
Abbie Ferguson doubled that lead only minutes later, with the winger cleverly nipping in at the back post to smash home from Tegan Bowie’s low cross into the area.
Determined to keep a clean sheet against the league’s bottom club, shot-stopper Schumacher was also ready to stop Freya Brien’s low strike, denying the opposition an opportunity to nick a goal back at this early stage.
United were made to rue their missed chance. Kirsten Reilly added a third goal with a sensational free-kick.
With Ferguson fouled near the same blade of grass where Lawson’s turbocharged effort opened the goalscoring floodgates, Reilly seconded that strike by stepping up and firing a curling effort right into the top corner.
As they have done all season, Hibs would continue to play well in the wide areas.
Aided by supplementary runs into the channels by Adams, an effort by the number 9 from wide was unlucky not to slip into the net, with Ciara Grant also unlucky to see her follow-up cleared off the line.
Coming out in the second half, Hibs’ chances continued to mount and a fourth goal soon came. Substitute Kirsty Morrison was sent clear through on goal, rounded the keeper in characteristic fashion and netted shortly before the hour mark.
With periods of play where every outfield player was firmly camped in the United half, such was the testament to the pressing on show by Hibs, it was only a matter of time before star striker Adams netted her 21st of the season.
Sent through via a direct ball forward, she fired high into the net to break her 75-minute goal drought on the edge of the area.
McAlonie, Lauren Doran-Barr and substitute Lia Tweedie all had further chances swept away shortly before the final whistle, allowing Hibs to depart Dundee with five goals and a terrific set-up to our highly anticipated Sky Sports Cup Semi Final on Sunday.