Amelia Hazard turned into a goal poacher as she struck twice against Enfield Town to help MK Dons Ladies win 3-1.
Charly Wright put the Dons ahead five minutes into the game when she fired home the rebound, after Enfield’s goalkeeper parried a shot by Dawn Mallett.
The Dons doubled their advantage 10 minutes into the second half as Wright turned provider, drilling the ball across the face of the goal for Hazard to fire home.
Hazard wasted no time extending the lead further as, 10 minutes after grabbing her first goal, she struck again from three-yards out.
Enfield Town scored a consolation goal with 18 minutes left on the clock to deny the Dons a clean sheet but the 3-1 victory gave the Dons their first three points away from home this season, and also made it two wins in two games ahead of a midweek clash with Cambridge United.
The Dons started the game brightly after grabbing their first win last weekend, passing the ball around the team trying to create an opening.
It didn’t take long to grab a goal as Mallett expertly curled a shot goalwards, putting enough power into her effort that the Enfield goalkeeper could only manage to parry the ball. A charging Wright was there and was able to calmly slot home the rebound to make it 1-0.
It wasn’t all positives for the Dons in the first half, as disappointment came when Vicky Holland suffered an injury and had to be replaced by Louise Naylor just 20 minutes into the game.
The Dons still managed to hold onto their 1-0 lead into half-time, not letting Enfield Town have any clear-cut chances, despite the enforced change to their defence. They did give away a few opportunities from set-pieces but dealt with them accordingly.
After scoring quickly in the first-half, the second-half was no different for the Dons. The second goal for the Dons was a well-worked team goal, which started with Leanna Doyle on the right-hand-side. Doyle worked the ball down the right, before passing the ball to Wright who had charged to the byline. Wright then fired a cross into the box, which Hazard tapped home from four yards out.
The Dons continued to keep Enfield at bay with their neat passing and didn’t wait very long for their third goal, scoring ten minutes later. The goal was very similar to their second, as the ball got played out wide before being pulled back to Hazard who struck from three-yards out this time.
The Dons were then comfortable with their three goal advantage until the 72nd minute when Enfield Town Ladies pulled one back.
Despite conceding, the Dons kept their shape and saw the game out to earn their first win on the road this season.
Speaking after the game, James Honeyman was very positive about what he saw, saying: “I’m really happy with the way we played, in particular with the way we controlled the game.
“I feel this team is now on a roll – we have players coming off the bench that are finishing games for us which is helping.
“We have young players in there mixed with experience players giving us this really good squad depth.”
Starting XI: Smith, Doyle (c), Burgess, Holland (Naylor, 20), Newsome, Wright, Hughes, Clarke, Mallett (Newman, 71), Hazard, Gooderham (Loftus, 60).
Goals: Wright (5), Hazard (55, 65).
Attendance: 42.
Image courtesy of @MikeyTheTowner.
