Ellis Glanfield scored a first-half hat-trick as Murdoch University Melville sprung one of the surprises of the NPLWA - Women’s season.
A week after losing 9-0, the league's bottom side recorded an excellent 3-1 defeat of Balcatta Etna at Besteam Stadium.
Sunday's Round 15 win was MUM FC’s second of the season, which pulls them level on points with second-bottom UWA Nedlands in the battle to avoid relegation. Balcatta, meanwhile, are now 11 points off top spot and although they have a game in hand, they face a massive fight to stay in the title race.
Glanfield opened the scoring on 14 minutes as Balcatta allowed a long free-kick to bounce in their penalty area and the former Perth Glory player lifted the ball over Rebecca Bennett for 1-0.
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The hosts doubled their lead when Isabella Baldin threaded through for Glanfield, who beat the offside trap and kept her cool to score.
Baldin and Glanfield combined again with the latter slotting home after a clever outside-of-the-foot pass, completing a 22-minute hat-trick.
Balcatta pulled one back in the second period through a stunning Abbey Meakins free-kick, the midfielder's 14th goal of the season. But it proved to be a consolation only as Murdoch celebrated one of their performances of 2024.
At the top of the league, both leaders Perth RedStar and second-place Perth Soccer Club won to set up a blockbuster clash next weekend with just two points separating the pair.
RedStar beat Subiaco 6-1 thanks to Reina Kagami’s hat-trick which made it three wins in a row for Carlos Vega Mena’s side.
The Japanese midfielder broke forward from midfield to get the better of her marker and slot in for 1-0 inside a quarter of an hour.
Kagami made it 2-0 with a curler from outside the box, and a third was scored on 34 minutes when Olivia Wood linked up with Sarah Carroll, who fired across Isobel Robinson and into the bottom corner.
Subiaco pulled one back before the break when Greta Bailey netted her first NPL goal from Danielle Suckling’s corner. But RedStar restored their three-goal cushion within 30 seconds of the restart thanks to a stunning strike from Olivia Wood.
The defending champions scored two more to wrap up a big win. Carla Bennett found Jayna Ridley to turn and strike beyond Isobel Robinson, then Momoko Sakairi’s inch-perfect pass picked out Kagami, who completed her treble to cement the win.
Kagami now trails the league’s leading scorer, Ella Lincoln of Perth SC, by one goal in the Golden Boot race.
Meanwhile, the Azzurri defeated Fremantle City at Dorrien Gardens for the second time in a fortnight as they backed up their Hyundai Women’s State Cup semi-final success with a 3-2 win in the league.
Perth struck first with 33 minutes on the clock as Sam Mathers scored an Olimpico from a corner, which made it goals in three successive games for the forward.
Freo levelled before the break when the Azzurri got in a tangle at the back and Alex Poad capitalised on the loose ball to score.
But there was still time for Perth to take a lead into half-time, as Daisy McAllister continued her impressive season by getting the better of Sofie Osborne and striking across the goalkeeper from a narrow angle.
An unfortunate own goal made it 3-1 to the home side early in the second period as Catherine Adams looped a header over her own goalkeeper to provide Perth with a match-winning buffer.
There was a late scare as Tanika Lala’s stoppage-time finish from Clara Hoarau’s reverse pass gave Freo brief hope, but Perth would stave off that threat to win a fifth game in a row.
On Saturday, Hyundai NTC kept their top four hopes alive, as they snapped a four-game losing streak with a hard-fought 3-1 win over UWA Nedlands at the Sam Kerr Football Centre.
There were chances at both ends in the first half with Megan Phillips denying Samara Riches and Emily Dinsdale, while Klaudia Houlis lifted over the bar from Angelique Clayton’s pass.
Lawrence Lewis’ side hit the front on 55 minutes. Emily Dinsdale’s cross was met by forward Andrea Preiato, who notched her third goal for UWA since joining mid-year.
NTC levelled midway through the second half as Clayton played in Theodora Mouithys, who rolled in via the post, before Mia Britton burst down the right and crossed for Houlis to turn the game on its head.
UWA pushed hard until the end to force a leveller. But the hosts sealed the win late on when Mouithys ran clear to finish with aplomb past Morgan Spinger.
NTC are two points fourth-placed Fremantle, while UWA remain second bottom on goal difference alone following MUM FC's win on Sunday.