RANGERS picked up three points in the SWPL this evening with a 4-0 victory over Hearts at Rangers Training Centre.
First-half goals from Zoe Ness and a Lizzie Arnot double had Rangers in control at the break before a second-half strike from Sonia O’Neill rounded off the scoring.
Malky Thomson named four changes to his side from Sunday’s defeat with Daina Bourma, Emma Brownlie, Bala Devi and Carly Girasoli coming into the starting line-up.
Nicola Docherty, Rachel McLauchlan and Chantelle Swaby were available from the bench, with Kirsten Reilly missing out through injury.
Rangers started strong and opened the scoring with only nine minutes on the clock as a well-worked move down the left saw Chelsea Cornet deliver a ball into the box which met Zoe Ness. The Gers striker directed the ball towards goal and it went in off the post beating Charlotte Parker-Smith.
The Light Blues were piling on the pressure early on and doubled their advantage less than two minutes later. Brogan Hay found space on the right to drive towards the byline before cutting the ball back into the box which was tapped home from close range by Lizzie Arnot.
Shortly after Daina Bourma picked out Bala Devi inside the box and the forward got a powerful shot away at goal which was tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Charlotte Parker-Smith.
On the 27th minute Lizzie Arnot cut the ball back to Zoe Ness on the edge of the box, she skipped her way into the area beating two Hearts defenders but her low drilled effort was held by the goalkeeper.
Just after the half-hour mark Rangers added their third goal of the evening. Sam Kerr found Lizzie Arnot on the edge of the box and she turned before curling a powerful shot into the back of the net for her second goal of the game.
Rangers tried to build on their three goal advantage into the second-half as Charlotte Parker-Smith pulled out a good save to deny Brogan Hay a goal.
The fourth goal did come on the 64th minute as Brogan Hay and Zoe Ness played a lovely one-two down the right-hand side before Hay got a shot away at goal. Her effort was blocked by Parker-Smith but the rebound fell to Sonia O’Neill who guided the ball home from close range.
Charlotte Parker-Smith pulled off another good save moments later as Emma Brownlie found Zoe Ness in the box but the Hearts goalkeeper managed to get a hand to the effort to deny Ness her second of the evening.
Substitute Laura McCartney, who made her return from a long term injury, came close as her shot went just wide of the post before Clare Gemmell saw an effort from distance go just over the bar.
Zoe Ness almost had her second of the evening but she was denied by the bar as her shot bounced back off the crossbar before being cleared.
The woodwork again denied Rangers just a minute later as Rachel McLauchlan’s curling effort hit the post before being cleared by Hearts.
Malky Thomson’s side were continuing to push for more goals in the dying stages of the game but Charlotte Parker-Smith denied Sonia O’Neill with another good save.
RANGERS: Fife, Bourma, Brownlie, Hay (McLauchlan, 68), Ness, Devi (Gemmell, 46), Girasoli, Arnot (McCartney, 68), Cornet, Kerr (O’Neill 60), Westrup (Swaby, 60).
SUBS: Cunningham, Docherty.
HEARTS: Parker-Smith, Delworth, Forsyth, Cunningham, Turner (Birse, 46) Kaney (Davies, 56), Tweedie, Smith, Williamson, Aitchison, McIntosh.
SUBS: Vicenti, Hunter, Begg, Cowan, Anderson.