Sarina Bolden etched her name in the history books as the first Newcastle Jets player to score an A-League Women’s (ALW) goal at the Maitland Regional Sportsground.
But, it was her stunning double in the second half that sealed the Hunter club’s much-needed 3-0 victory over the Brisbane Roar on Saturday 17 February.
The decision to play away from No. 2 Sportsground paid dividends for Newcastle, with a strong vocal “home” crowd turning up to cheer on the local football stars.
And, they were rewarded as Bolden registered a rare ALW hat-trick.
The win, and three competition points, puts the Jets on target to snare a play-off berth in 2023/24.
At the other end of the field, goalie Izzy Nino did a superb job to keep a clean sheet.
Another standout was Lauren Allan, whose pace caused Brisbane headaches all afternoon.
Bolden had the opportunity to open the scoring in the eighth minute, however she was ruled offside with just the keeper to beat.
Nino then kept Ashlee Brodigan at bay… and she continued to frustrate the Roar along with fer fellow defenders Lorena Baumann, Tash Prior and Claudia Cicco.
Play settled down until Bolden gave Newcastle a 1-0 lead in the 39th minute. Libby Copus-Brown’s beautiful cross found the Philippines international’s head.
The Jets maintained that advantage until the break.
Both sides resumed with plenty of intent.
In fact, they went shot-for-shot, with Bolden and Sophie Hoban going close while Ayesha Norrie and Tamela Yallop narrowly missed the target.
Brisbane nearly equalised but Karipidis then Nino blocked Rebecca Kirkup’s attempt when all hope seemed lost.
However, Newcastle had nothing to fear.
A fabulous long pass from Baumann found Bolden in space and her right foot sent the ball into the back of the net for a 2-0 scoreline.
Ninety seconds later, she did it again to make it 3-0, this time assisted by Lara Gooch.
Bolden’s third, and her 11th goal of the season, sent the Maitland fans into raptures – and rightly so.
She then had a chance to make it four but her trusty header narrowly sailed over the top.
For more sports stories:
- ALM: Flat Jets pay heavy penalty for loss
- Show match officials ‘love’ as Zero Tolerance policy kicks off
- Solman hat-trick bowls over JPC
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