Rising talent Sophie McDonald produced a seven-goal haul as Newcastle Olympic trounced Warners Bay 16-0 in the opening round of NPLW Northern NSW at John Street Oval on Sunday.
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The game was meant to be a grand final replay but a new-look Panthers were never in it.
Warners Bay were near unstoppable on their way to securing the premiership-championship double for the first time last year.
They beat Olympic 4-2 in the grand final but all but one player from their senior squad - firsts and reserves - departed in the off-season after a coaching change at the club.
McDonald, who has been promoted to Olympic's first-grade side this year after an outstanding campaign in reserves, scored all seven goals in the first half as the visitors took a 9-0 lead into half-time.
Marion Dunbabin, one of four players to join Olympic from Warners Bay this season, scored a hat-trick.
Sophie Walmsley bagged a match double and Brooke Summers, Georgia Amess, Tori Johnson and Jemma House - who was used in the latter stages off the bench as she manages a knee complaint - also got on the scoresheet.
In the tightest match of round one, substitute Lori Depczynski produced a spectacular long-range strike to secure a 2-1 win for Charlestown Azzurri over Maitland at Lisle Carr Oval.
Azzurri took the lead through new recruit Emily Diaz in the 30th minute after impressive lead-up work by young gun Cassie Corder, who has earned a first-grade position this campaign.
Corder skilfully weaved her way past three Maitland players before firing off a shot that was repelled by Magpies goalkeeper Imogene Tomasone only for Diaz to bury the rebound.
Maitland levelled early in the second half through Maddy Howard before Depczynski unleashed an 80th-minute wonder goal from the right sideline with virtually her first touch of the game.
At Magic Park, Broadmeadow beat New Lambton 4-1. Last year's leading scorer and player of the year Adriana Konjarski, who has joined Magic from Warners Bay, scored a first-half double.
Centre-back Kirstyn Antoni made it 3-0 in the 63rd minute when she scored from close range off a corner.
Tara Pender pulled one back for the Eagles with a runaway effort in the 79th but fullback Jannali Hunter sealed the three points for Magic when she scored after a corner in the 88th.
Tanya Jones produced a hat-trick and Courtney Anderson plus Ash Vetter also got on the scoresheet as Adamstown defeated Mid Coast 5-0 in Taree.
Jones scored two goals in four minutes - a curling left-footed strike from range in the 17th then a touch around Mid Coast's keeper to finish into an open net in the 21st - to give Rosebud a 2-0 lead at the break.
Anderson, who hails from the Mid Coast, made it 3-0 shortly after the break before Jones completed her match treble in the 61st. Vetter scored from a corner in stoppage time.
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