SWPL: Rangers Surge to Top as Title Race Heats Up

SWPL: Rangers Surge to Top as Title Race Heats Up

Rangers have climbed to the summit of the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) after a resounding 9-0 victory over Queen's Park.

The Glasgow side's dominance was evident from the outset, with Kirsty Howat breaking the deadlock in the 17th minute. Chelsea Cornet, Brogan Hay, and Rio Hardy then followed suit with quick-fire goals to put Rangers 4-0 up within the first half-hour. Defender Kathy Hill added her first goal of the season before the break, giving Rangers a commanding 5-0 lead.

Howat continued her impressive performance in the second half, opening the scoring again before substitutes Katie Wilkinson and Laura Berry added their names to the scoresheet. A Queen's Park own goal in stoppage time completed the rout for Jo Potter's side, who now top the table on goal difference.

Celtic maintained their winning start to the season with a 5-1 victory over Motherwell. Saoirse Noonan opened the scoring for the Hoops after just three minutes, and Lucy Ashworth-Clifford and Amy Gallacher added two more goals before half-time.

Motherwell's Morgan Cross pulled one back early in the second half, briefly raising hopes of a comeback. However, goals from Murphy Agnew and Maria McAneny quickly quashed any chance of an upset for Paul Brownlie's side.

Hibs also secured their third win of the season, moving up to third place after a dominant 6-0 victory over Dundee United. Summer signing Linzi Taylor grabbed her first and second goals for the Edinburgh side in the first half, with Eilidh Adams adding a brace, and Mya Christie netting a fifth before the break. Former Hearts attacker Kathleen McGovern completed the rout with her third goal of the season after coming on as a substitute in the second half.

Hearts dropped from first to fourth place after Glasgow City snatched all three points in a late drama at their temporary home of K-Park.

Amy Muir opened the scoring for City, but the game took a dramatic turn at the end of the first half. Kimberley Smit was shown a red card for City and gave away a penalty, which Hearts' Lisa Robertson converted. However, new signing Sofia Maatta levelled the score with five minutes remaining, sealing a vital win for City.

Partick Thistle secured their first victory of the season with a 2-1 win over Spartans at Ainslie Park. Caley Gibb put Thistle ahead after just two minutes, and Tiree Burchill doubled their lead inside ten minutes. Hannah Jordan pulled one back for Spartans with half an hour remaining, but Thistle held on to claim a crucial win despite being reduced to ten men in injury time when Claire Adams received a red card.

Aberdeen also earned their first win of the season, beating Montrose 2-0. Led by interim manager Stuart Glennie following the departure of Colin Bell earlier this week, the Dons secured victory thanks to goals from Niamh Noble and Emily Kraft, who scored their first goals for the club. Montrose remains bottom of the table without a point.

With the season still in its early stages, the SWPL title race is already heating up, with several teams vying for top spot.

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