Hibs Ladies book Scottish Cup final berth with win over Hearts

Lizzie Arnot scored a hat-trick for Hibs Ladies

Manager Chris Roberts made four changes to the side that had gone down 4-1 to Bayern Munich in their Champions League Round of 32 second-leg clash in Germany last  Wednesday.

Hearts boss Grant Scott had conceded prior to the match it would take a mammoth effort if they were to upset the odds and that never seemed likely after Rachel McLauchlan netted following an Abi Harrison cross ten minutes before the interval.

It took Hibs until ten minutes after the restart to double their advantage, substitute Lizzie Arnot scoring from the penalty spot after Cailin Michie had been tripped in the box.

Arnot secured her side’s passage into final at New Douglas Park against Glasgow City on Sunday, November 6, after 76 minutes with a neat finish from six yards before the Scottish internationalist sealed her hat-trick with a swerving shot from 20 yards.

Sarah Ewens made it five on the stroke of full-time.

“I thought Hearts were fantastic, I didn’t expect them to press us so high so it took the majority of the first half to get into the game,” Roberts said. “I thought we controlled the second half much better and used our squad well because it had been such a tough week for us.”

Scott, meanwhile, was proud of his group of players for reaching their first-ever Scottish Cup semi-final.

“When you look at the changes Hibs made at half-time, they had four international players coming off the bench,” he said. “We don’t have an international player in our squad so that tells you all that you need to know.

“It’s a different level. But we can take the positives of how far we’ve come in the competition and I’m delighted with how we competed. It was a great occasion for the players.”

Hearts: Watson, Pagliarulo (Hughes 52), Smith (Kidd 61), Paterson, Walkingshaw, Stewart (Smith 66), Carse, Robertson (Summers 79), Anderson, Mason (McAlonie 57), Hutchison. Sub: Burns.

Hibs Ladies: Fife, Williamson, Hunter (Murray 46), Robertson, Michie, Ewens, McLauchlan (Arnot 46), Leishman (Graham 46), Notley (Smith 46), Harrison (Turner 79), Brownlie.