Riverside has been brought back down to earth after the Devonport Strikers came, saw and conquered Olympic at Windsor Park 6-0.
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Riverside entered the clash after a resurgent two weeks in both the league and cup competitions which saw them secure their first win (Lakoseljac Cup) and first point of the NPL campaign in consecutive matches.
It left the first league win as their last remaining milestone and the Strikers shaped as a tough task to do it, given the North-West Coast side's recent form.
It shaped as an even tougher task given Riverside failed to conquer the Strikers in their two previous meetings at Windsor Park last season with a tightly contested 3-2 win followed by an 8-0 goal fest from the Strikers.
The league leaders showcased why they are a likely title contender as they repeatedly pierced Riverside's defensive set-up and finished with conviction past Dan Nash in goals with a match reminiscent of last season's 8-0 onslaught.
Roberto Fernandez Garrido opened the scoring by sneaking a penalty past a diving Nash after the striker was brought down in the box following a shot into the post.
Brody Denehey added to the scoreline after a cross became a shot and trickled into the net in the 58th minute. Garrido was far from done when he was found with a low ball into the box in the 64th minute, only to create space from the Riverside defence and lash his second of the game home.
A superbly worked team goal accounted for the Strikers' fourth of the night while Garrido latched onto a superb volley for the fifth goal and his hat-trick in the 80th minute and the Strikers rounded out the night with a sixth a short time later.
It was a similarly disappointing night for Launceston City as their road trip to Kingborough ended in a 4-1 defeat.
City opened the scoring after Aaron Campbell volleyed home following a scramble in the box in the third minute of play.
It was all Kingborough traffic after that as the home side ensured that the visitors would not secure consecutive victories in the league with the next four goals to put the result beyond doubt.
Adam McKeown cancelled out Campbell's opener with a poacher's goals after he latched on to a free ball off a header in the box.
The Lions added another when Noah Mies beat Lachlan Clark to a loose ball and the striker made no mistake as his header bounced over the line for the lead.
Alfred Hess produced a long-range finish that somehow avoided the sea of bodies in the box as Launceston failed to clear beyond the Lions player and Clark was left helpless.
The misery was extended when Mies was initially denied by a good save from the Launceston shot-stopper before the former City youngster snaffled up the rebound and put it into the top corner for the fourth and final Lions goal of the game.
In the Northern Championship, Riverside Olympic tasted some success as they accounted for Devonport Strikers 2-1 at Windsor Park.
Ulverstone proved too good for Launceston City in their match-up as they thundered home six goals against the hapless visitors to notch another win in the competition.
The Northern Rangers continued their high-flying start to the season with a comfortable victory over cross-town rivals Launceston United with the final scoreboard reading 5-0.
Rangers have shown they have no problems in front of goal during their early-season winning streak and that continued on Saturday as they made every attack seem to count.
While Launceston United added its own goal to the result, Johnny Burk, Bryley Jordan, Pat Lanau-Atkinson and Luke Eyles all got on the scoresheet.
WOMEN'S SUPER LEAGUE
Launceston United have continued their unbeaten start to the Women's Super League season with another productive road trip for the ladder leaders.
Kingborough Lions were the latest victim for Frank Compton and Lynden Prince's side as the Launceston visitors put five past the home side.
Ellie La Monte was everywhere in attack for Launceston and had a major part in the opening goal of the day.
The attacker's cross found Dani Gunton who nodded on to Madi Gilpin with the United star notching the first goal of the game for the second consecutive week in the 15th minute.
The ball seemed magnetised to La Monte as she broke through the Kingborough defence only to be brought down inside the box. Moments later, the former Perth Glory player tucked away the penalty for her first of the day and United's second.
Kingborough found a foothold in the game towards the closing stages of the first-half. The Lions enjoyed greater spells of possession and created their first chances of the match but the score remained 2-0.
La Monte showed the home side how it was done with a fearsome shot lashed home, the Lions keeper got a glove to the shot but it still nestled in the back of the net.
After combining for the first goal, Gunton and La Monte were centre stage for United's fourth. The winger displayed a touch of class to play through the former who calmly slotted past the Kingborough keeper.
United refused to rest on their laurels and kept playing to the dying minutes of the match despite their sizeable lead. It paid off when La Monte slipped through past the Lions' defensive line in the final minute of the match to notch her hat-trick and continue her rich vein of goal-scoring form.
United will search for their sixth win of the league campaign when they return home from their away stint against Olympia at Birch Avenue on May 14.
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