Aberdeen Women tasted their heaviest defeat this season in the SWPL as the Dons were sunk 5-0 by an impressive Hibernian side at Meadowbank.
In a very rainy Edinburgh, Hibs took the lead after 22 minutes through a close-range Jorian Baucom effort, before the forward netted two more in the second half to secure her hat-trick.
Aberdeen were reduced to 10 players after 67 minutes when Madison Finnie was sent off for hauling down Baucom, who converted the resulting penalty for her third goal.
Shannon McGregor netted the Hibees’ fourth in the 71st minute, and second-half substitute Brooke Nunn added a fifth eight minutes later, which confirmed the Dons’ heaviest defeat.
The loss leaves the Reds in fifth with 12 points ahead of Sunday’s home clash against Celtic.
Clint Lancaster made two changes from Sunday’s win over Hamilton Accies, with Jess Broadrick and Laura Holden coming into the starting XI for Aimee Black and Hannah Innes.
Former Don Mya Christie started on the bench for new club Hibernian.
Aberdeen registered the first shot of the game when Bayley Hutchison linked up well with skipper Nadine Hanssen, but the former’s shot was easily saved by Katie Fraine – who had made a shaky start to the game with some poor distribution from pass-backs.
Hibs’ first chance came via Baucom, who unleashed a strike from the edge of the box which was easily gathered by goalkeeper Faye Kirby.
Francesca Ogilvie, who was on the scoresheet at the weekend, did well to get a shot away from a tight angle in the box, but her effort was matched by a good diving stop from Fraine.
It should have been 1-0 to the Dons when Ogilvie raced onto a superb forward pass but took the ball too wide in the box and her shot finished the wrong side of the post.
A superb last-ditch block from Aberdeen defender Finnie denied Baucom a clear chance on goal.
At the other end, Fraine made a good stop from a Hutchison strike inside the box after the striker latched on to the rebound from a Holden effort.
Despite Aberdeen having had the better of the chances, Hibs went 1-0 up when Baucom calmly buried the ball beyond Kirby after receiving a slick pass from Abbie Ferguson on the right flank.
Dons boss Lancaster was forced into making substitution after 30 minutes as Innes came on for an injured Holden.
In the second half, goalkeeper Kirby was called into action first as Naomi Powell hit a tame volley goalwards from a Tegan Bowie cross.
Aberdeen’s first chance after the interval came from Hannah Stewart, but she could not get enough power behind her shot from 20 yards out.
Baucom got her second of the evening as she latched on to a mistake from Finnie, who played a pass-back to Kirby under pressure, which didn’t reach the goalkeeper and Baucom knocked it into the empty net.
The Dons keeper scrambled to stop ball crossing the line, injuring herself in the process, with goalkeeper Annalisa McCann coming on for her first appearance of the season as Kirby’s replacement.
Things went from bad to worse for Aberdeen as Finnie was shown a straight red card for hauling down Baucom in the box, with Hibs awarded a penalty as a result.
Baucom stepped up for the spot-kick and sent it beyond McCann to make it 3-0 to Hibs in the 68th minute.
Hibs weren’t done yet as McGregor, who hails from Aberdeen, netted the fourth with a looping effort over McCann, before substitute Nunn got in on the action and made it 5-0 as she slotted the rebound home from an Eilidh Adams strike.
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