Toni Power had barely been on the field for five minutes.
The defender was injected after the halftime break as Southern United looked to break the 0-0 deadlock against Petone.
As Petone goalkeeper Leonie Heck cleared from their goal, the Lower Hutt wind played havoc and held the ball up in the air.
It landed at the top right corner just outside of the box for Power, who controlled it nicely and sent a screaming punt back towards the goal — and nailed it.
That started the assault in a 4-1 win — after Southern pressured with several shots that went begging in the first half — in the National League on Saturday.
Fifteen minutes later, United States import Mackenzie Rastatter made it 2-0 to Southern with an absolute beauty.
She stepped up to take a free kick about halfway in their own half, and with the wind behind her, sent in a long-range shot and buried it in the top right corner.
Hunting for a third to put the game to bed, Power pushed the ball down the right flank for Hannah Mackay-Wright on the goal line.
She sent her cross into
the box, and while Keira Pettefar’s header was well covered, the ball dropped at her feet for her to tap home in the 79th minute.
That gave Southern United a deserved 3-0 lead — but they were not done yet.
Raegan Potter’s corner was covered by Petone, but Mackay-Wright smothered the exit to force a mistake.
Emma Vane collected it at the top of the box and drilled it home in the 84th minute to secure the three points.
Petone clawed one back in added time when replacement Olivia Gibbs found nice space at the top of the box and powered it home.
It was a good performance from Southern, who could have had a bigger lead if the wind had been on their side in the first half.
Rastatter had a chance as early as the fifth minute, and Amy Hislop’s shot in the 25th minute hit the crossbar.
They are back home this weekend in a South Island clash against Canterbury United Pride at Logan Park.
In National League games yesterday, Britney Cunningham-Lee scored five goals in Western Springs’ 12-0 rout of Central, Auckland United beat Phoenix Reserves 4-1, Eastern Suburbs beat Canterbury United 5-0 and West Coast Rangers won 4-2 over Wellington United.
National League
The scores
Southern United 4
Toni Power 51’, Mackenzie Rastatter 66’, Keira Pettefar 79’, Emma Vane 84’.
Petone 1
Olivia Gibbs 90+3’
Halftime: 0-0.
