Wodonga Diamonds 1 Melrose 4: Alicia Torcaso scores four goals but misses a penalty

There was no keeping Torcaso out of the action at Willow Park, where the 39-year-old raced to a hat-trick in the space of 11 first-half-minutes.

Torcaso made it four six minutes into the second half but missed the opportunity for a fifth despite having two chances to score from the spot.

Helena Zito did well to keep out Torcaso's first penalty and then produced an even better save when the spot-kick had to be retaken because of players encroaching into the box.

"I went to take the penalty on my left foot, which I never do," Torcaso admitted.

"I don't know what I was thinking, I was just in the moment.

"I'm still perplexed as to why I did that when I've never done that in 30 years.

"A player moved into the box so it was disallowed.

"I went to take the next one on my right foot but she dived the right way so credit to her."

Torcaso had already seen a header cleared off the line when she broke the deadlock on 16 minutes.

Inde-Ana Burgess played the ball over the top and Torcaso shrugged Hannah Love aside before picking out the bottom corner.

Torcaso played a neat one-two with Eva Davis, collecting the return pass and shooting over before Jade McCowan fired narrowly wide from another good Melrose move.

Two goals in four minutes just before the half-hour saw Torcaso complete her treble.

She powered home a header from an Alex Waters corner and then went on a mazy run, leaving a string of defenders in her wake before finishing with her right foot to make it 3-0.

It was another Waters corner which laid on Torcaso's fourth goal after the restart and she then forced a good save from Zito after turning smartly in a crowded penalty area.

Zito showed her quality again by beating out both penalty attempts before watching a Caitlin Bishop effort fizz past the post.

Diamonds, to their credit, didn't go away from their style of play and almost pulled a goal back when Zoe Stamp forcing a sprawling save from Georgia Taylor in the Melrose goal.

Waters tried her luck with an audacious shot from inside the centre circle and there was still time for Torcaso to hit the post.

Diamonds pulled a goal back in stoppage-time at the end of the game, Stamp scoring from an indirect free-kick inside the box after Taylor picked up what was deemed to be a back pass.

Referee Grant Sewell initially blew for full-time before the free-kick could be taken but then called the players back and let the set-piece play out.

"We passed the ball well in the first 25 minutes, which resulted in three goals just starting from the back," Torcaso said.

"I'm pretty happy with the way I've played this year.

"There's some games when I've walked off thinking 'could I have done better?' or 'what should I have done differently?' but then again, I say that every week anyway.

"We all know today what I could have done better and what I should have done differently but it was just about coming back to play and being happy.

"I have definitely achieved that at Melrose."

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