A PROMISING first season in the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League women's championship has continued for La Trobe University.
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The Eagles celebrated their seventh win of the season with a hard-fought 1-0 away from home victory against Epsom.
A 13th minute goal to midfielder Olivia Kennedy - her ninth of the season - proved the difference between the two sides, who fought out a 1-1 draw earlier in the season.
The Eagles were forced to defend stubbornly in the latter stages of the contest as the Scorpions desperately sought an equaliser, but were able to hang on to post their second-straight win, which followed a pair of losses.
La Trobe's win lifted the competition's newcomers three points clear of Golden City, after the Rams fell 9-1 to Colts United.
The Eagles are handily placed in sixth position on 22 points, six behind Shepparton South, which lost to top side Shepparton United 5-2.
Sidelined for Sunday's match with a ruptured ankle, La Trobe captain Courtney Van Diesen, who helped coach from the sidelines, said the team had been forced to work hard for the win.
"It's good to get back on the scoreboard these last two weeks, especially after a good win last week (against Moama-Echuca)." she said.
"We went a couple of weeks where we didn't get wins and didn't have many players available due to uni holidays.
"We were expecting it to be tough against Epsom after the draw last time we played them, but we just had to hold them out after Olivia Kennedy scored the early goal.
"It was great to get a few players back and actually have a full team and a bench."
The Eagles will likely be bolstered for next weekend's clash against Golden City by the return of Tash Romas.
That spells trouble for the Rams, after Romas scored a hat-trick in the teams' earlier season meeting, a 6-1 win to the Eagles.
Van Diesen said the club continued to be delighted with how its first season had unfolded, with hopes high of further improvement up the ladder in the final five rounds.
Meanwhile, Eaglehawk maintained second spot on the ladder with a convincing 9-0 win over Moama-Echuca at Jack Eddy Oval in Moama.
Charlotte Edline was the star for the Hawks with a six-goal haul, while Chloe Parker finished with a double.
Rebecca Berry continued her reign at the top of the goal scorers table with five in Colts United's win against Golden City.
Berry now has 44 for the season, three ahead of Shepparton United's Sophie Papalia, who contributed two in her side's win over South.
Spring Gully United picked up its fifth win with a big 12-0 victory over Swan Hill, led by Naomi Dawson with four goals.
A productive day for the Reds included a hat-trick from Amanda Sgarioto and a double to Natalie Bernard.