Ayres on target again in Victory ALW win

In-form Melbourne Victory striker Melina Ayres has continued her hot streak with another A-League Women brace in a 5-2 win over Newcastle.

Ayres scored twice in the opening eight minutes to put Victory in the driver’s seat at AAMI Park on Saturday.

Kayla Morrison also scored twice before half-time – both goals coming on the end of set pieces – and completed her hat-trick in the dying stages.

But the hosts had to fight for their third straight win, which came at a cost when goalkeeper Casey Dumont taken off the ground on a stretcher following a collision with Ashlee Brodigan early in the second half.

Victory defender Claudia Bunge and Newcastle midfielder Lucy Johnson both limped off with knee injuries after the break.

Ayres took her season tally to five goals – all in the past three matches – in another superb display.

The 23-year-old opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the sixth minute after Leia Puxty’s clumsy challenge on Alana Murphy, sending a low shot into the bottom corner.

Ayres doubled the lead two minutes later, latching onto Alex Chidiac’s neat through-ball and finishing coolly past Claire Coelho.

Morrison nodded home Murphy’s corner at the back post and made it four for Victory before the break when she guided Beattie Goad’s free kick home from close range.

Dumont required treatment for a heavy knock in the first half and was in the thick of the action again when she clashed with Brodigan 10 minutes into the second period.

Newcastle gave their hosts a scare, slashing the deficit in half soon after Dumont went off.

Substitute goalkeeper Miranda Templeman had to pick the ball out of the net within seconds of her entrance when Sarah Griffith curled a left-foot shot into the top corner from outside the box in the 59th minute.

Griffith later attempted a similar shot that was blocked and the fortunate ricochet fell to Brodigan, who lashed home a right-foot shot in the 73rd minute.

Morrison poked home the final goal of the match when Coelho failed to deal properly with Chidiac’s 87th-minute corner.