Rangers Open Season With Comprehensive Win

by: Louise Shaw

RANGERS opened their SWPL campaign with a comfortable 5-1 victory over Hearts.

A debut hat-trick from Zoe Ness and goals from Kirsten Reilly and Demi Vance sealed the three points at Rangers Training Centre.

Malky Thomson’s side piled on the pressure from the outset as Kirsten Reilly saw an early strike saved by Hearts goalkeeper Tegayn Hamilton.

Captain Clare Gemmell was next to see an effort denied as her shot bounced back off the crossbar, before Brianna Westrup header was cleared off the line by Hearts.

The early pressure paid off as Rangers were ahead with 20 minutes on the clock. A well worked free-kick saw Zoe Ness head home from a Nicola Docherty cross.

Lizzie Arnot was causing Hearts problems down the left as she skipped beyond a defender to fire a dangerous cross into the box but Brogan Hay couldn’t get a touch to divert it towards goal.

Ness got her second goal of the afternoon on the 35th minute as she put pressure on Hearts keeper Tegayn Hamilton to nick the ball and slot it into an empty net.

Just a minute later Hearts had a goal back as Jenna Fife came off her line to head the ball clear but it broke for Murron Cunningham who shot from distance to beat the Gers keeper. Into the second-half, Brogan Hay tested the keeper straight from the kick-off as she got on the end of a Lizzie Arnot cross.

Brianna Westrup came close again on 54 minutes as the defender heading the ball just over from a Clare Gemmell corner.

Ness had her hat-trick just 10 minutes later as she latched on the end of a long-ball forward to slotted low into the back of the net.

A quick double for Rangers saw them add a fourth as a cross met Kirsten Reilly in the box and she touched it beyond Cunningham.

On the 75th minute, defender Demi Vance rounded off the scoring for the afternoon as Lizzie Arnot’s cross was swung into the box and she hit it on the turn to fire a powerful effort into the back of the net.

Malky Thomson and Kevin Murphy made a number of changes in the final period as the game as Rangers comfortably saw out their first game of the league campaign.

RANGERS: Fife, Docherty, Brownlie, Vance, Hay (Bourma, 83), Reilly, Ness (Macdonald, 87), Arnot (Mcquillan, 87), Gemmell (Devi, 77), Cornet, Westrup (Girasoli, 77).

SUBS NOT USED: Cunningham