Eighteen-year old Jamie-Lee Napier’s hat-trick helped Hibernian secure their third straight SSE Scottish Women’s Cup trophy, with an 8-0 thrashing of Motherwell at Partick Thistle FC.
The SWPL 1 runners-up were soon in full control against the runaway SWPL 2 champions, Hibs scoring three times in the opening 15 minutes and even losing Abi Harrison to injury failed to slow them down.
Harrison scored just 2 minutes in with a shot from the edge of the box bent past goalkeeper Autumn Farrell and it was 2-0 with 6 minutes gone, Rachel McLauchlan crossing for Napier to net at the back post.
Chelsea Cornet’s ball into the goalmouth saw Harrison double her tally and although the scorer then suffered a hamstring injury, Lauren Davidson replaced and made it 4-0 the first time she got on the ball.
The unfortunate Maxine Welsh turned McLauchlan’s cross past her own keeper and Cailin Michie made it 6-0 by the break.
Napier scored both second half goals, with McLauchlan setting up the first and then forcing a save from Farrell before the rebound was put away.
Hibs’ head coach Grant Scott told hibernianfc.co.uk: “We got ourselves into a really good position so early and it was always going to be so difficult for Motherwell to come back from that.
“We had to be professional when we were playing against a team from the league below, even though we think their quality is good enough for SWPL 1, I’m just delighted with the way that we took the game to them.
“Because we’ve got that message into the players this week about going in to do the job first and foremost, then giving Motherwell respect for what they have achieved this season, but we knew if we took care of business that we would turn out winners.”
Hibernian: Fife, Brownlie (Williamson, 79), Murray, Hunter (Notley, 59), Michie; Robertson, Reilly, McLauchlan, Cornet (Gallacher, 59), Napier (Tweedie, 70), Harrison (Davidson, 31)
Motherwell: Farrell; Black, Nicolson, Welsh (Russell, 46), Condie, McLaughlin, Turner (Reside, 70), Burns, Cunningham, Hare (Canavan, 78), Mulvey
Attendance: 1,943
