Aberdeen Women striker Bayley Hutchison was delighted to reach the 100-goal milestone for the club in the 5-2 win over Motherwell on Sunday.
The 20-year-old striker scored four goals – taking her to 11 for the season – and assisted one as the Dons returned to winning ways after a five-game losing streak.
Hutchison’s third goal out of the four was her 100th for Aberdeen Women – and she has now netted 101 goals in 118 appearances since the women’s team amalgamated with the men’s club ahead of the 2019 season.
Having scored 11 goals in as many SWPL games this campaign, she has already matched her return for last season in the top-flight.
Hutchison said: “It’s a proud moment for me. I just wanted to start the season off well because last season I didn’t get as many goals as I would have liked.
“We had a tough season last season, but now the team are playing so well and I’m just lucky to be in the position that I am in so I can score goals.
“I’ve got good team-mates who can get me the ball. They work hard behind me, so I can do my thing in front of goal. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to them.
“It’s a really special moment for me to get my 100th goal and hit that landmark alongside some of the girls in the team like Eilidh Shore and Chloe Gover, who have been playing with me this whole time.”
An ‘unreal’ team performance secured Dons return to winning ways
The victory over Motherwell in South Lanarkshire was the Dons’ fifth in the SWPL this season and moved them up to seventh with 15 points.
Hutchison believes it was a vital win following a difficult spell where her side lost five games in a row.
She said: “We’ve had a hard run of games, so for me personally getting on the scoresheet was a positive, and for the team, hopefully we can build some momentum from the result.
“I think we needed a big win like that. The team performance was how we got such a big scoreline and credit has to go to the girls, because they were unreal.
“We just have to keep going now. We’ve got a free week, but then we have two big games against Partick Thistle and Spartans to come.
👏 All in a day's work. ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️#StandFree pic.twitter.com/TAgB9lggPf
— Aberdeen FC Women (@AberdeenWomen) November 5, 2023
“They are important points, and if we play how we did against Motherwell, then we give ourselves a really good chance.
“We can’t become complacent after this win and need to keep working very hard.”
Speaking after the win over Motherwell, Dons boss Clint Lancaster was full of praise for Hutchison and attacking players Darcie Miller – who also scored at K-Park – and Hannah Stewart.
He said: “It goes without saying what Bayley offers us. She’s an important part of a fantastic group.
“Hannah’s work rate was phenomenal. She ran and ran. She was wearing the armband for the first time and put in a real captain’s performance.
“Darcie was brilliant, too. It was just an all-round brilliant performance from the team and a brilliant win.”
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