GOAL HUNGRY REDS RUN RIOT
Champions Cliftonville Ladies produced a blistering performance at Solitude to defeat Ballymena Women and remain within touching distance at the top.
Caitlin McGuinness, who scored four goals in the game, opened the scoring after five minutes with a fine individual goal from a narrow angle.
Five minutes later Natasha Bamford diverted the ball into her own net to double the Reds’ advantage.
Danielle Maxwell tucked home from Abbie Magee’s low cross to finish off a free flowing move on 22 minutes to make it 3-0.
Megan Davidson then saw the ball deflect off her knee and into her own net on 34 minutes.
McGuinness prodded home her second and the home side’s fifth goal of the evening five minutes later, and the Reds would go on to score three more goals before the break.
Almost straight from kick off captain Marissa Callaghan made it six with a goal from outside the box, before Fi Morgan netted the pick of the goals with a thunderous strike that flew into the top corner minutes later.
Maxwell was brought down in the box a minute before half-time, with Callaghan coolly converting the resulting spot kick.
Cliftonville continued their relentless pursuit of goals in the second period, with McGuinness completing her hat-trick three minutes after the restart.
Maxwell got her brace when she fired home into the far corner to take the Reds’ tally into double figures.
McGuinness pounced on a loose ball in the box for her fourth goal on 55 minutes with Toni Leigh Finnegan getting on the scoresheet by scoring from a corner four minutes later.
Claire Shaw would score the final three goals of the evening, slotting home just after the hour mark before bundling home her second on 82 minutes.
She completed her hat-trick and the route a minute before time as she slipped the ball through the legs of Lucy Winton and into the back of the net.
Cliftonville Ladies: Norney, White, Doherty, Morgan, Finnegan, Maxwell, McDaniel, C. McGuinness, Callaghan, Shaw, Magee subs Welsh, Reilly, Markey, O. McGuinness, Irvine, Anderson, Campbell
Ballymena United Women: Winton, McCartney, Bamford, Davidson, Kirgan, McDowell, Stothers, McClure, Eddis, Campbell, Firth subs Burns, McDowell, Mitchell, Manson
Substitution 
Substitution 
