A brilliant hat-trick from red-hot striker Sarina Bolden has carried Newcastle into the A-League Women’s top six.
The unstoppable Philippines international made it 11 goals in 12 outings for the Jets, scoring all the goals in her side’s 3-0 win against Brisbane at the Maitland Sports Ground on Saturday evening.
With her first-half header separating the sides, Bolden delivered two scintillating counter-attacking goals in two minutes to seal the points.
The win moved Newcastle to sixth on the table, having dealt a huge blow to the Roar’s finals chances after they lost for a third straight game.
Bolden climbed high to open the scoring from a corner, nodding Libby Copus-Brown’s cross home on 40 minutes, but she saved her best work for a stunning second-half double.
Lorena Baumann’s through ball sliced open the Brisbane defence for Bolden to make it 2-0 on 77 minutes, before an even better finish mere seconds later brought a third goal.
Brisbane had some chances to equalise while trailing 0-1, none better than a goal-mouth scramble after Sharn Freier’s marauding run down the left flank on 66 minutes.
Mia Corbin struck the crossbar with a header in the game’s dying stages, although it only would have been a consolation goal for the well-beaten visitors.
Meanwhile, Canberra United and Sydney FC’s clash at McKellar Park was abandoned in the first half because of lightning in the area.
The game was initially halted on 13 minutes but play resumed, only for another strike to cause a further pause on 36 minutes.
Officials then abandoned the contest nearly an hour later, citing the lightning strikes, the condition of the pitch and player welfare.
Given the contest was called off in the first half, it will be rescheduled for later in the season.
The sides were engaged in an entertaining but scoreless tussle when proceedings were ended.
