With seven points separating the top three teams, all of the potential contenders found themselves playing sides below them in the standings and thus had to be perfect to keep their championship chances alive. Meanwhile, the hugely experienced core of Hualien were able to continue their quiet march up the table but did so in controversial fashion.

Hang Yuan: 5 – AC Taipei: 0

Another resounding win for Hang Yuan (1st), who raced into the lead and never took their foot off the gas. For AC Taipei (6th), the five-goal margin of defeat was their worst this season. 

The league leaders were ahead within thirteen minutes after an own goal from a corner kick. Just before halftime, they scored again from a corner, this time with Su Sin-yun smashing in a volley at the far post. Pan Yen-hsin then made it three-nil when she ran onto Miwa Tanaka‘s delicately placed pass and then lifted the ball into the corner of the net.

With fifty-three minutes played, Pan returned the favour and set up Tanaka on the edge of the six-yard box, who scored with a firm finish. Hang Yuan then finished off the rout when Pu Hsin-hui broke free down the right and found an advancing Chen Yu-chin, who drove into the box before setting up He Jia-shiuan for a tap-in goal.

Hualien FC: 2 – Valkyrie FC: 1

Hualien (4th) moved up to fourth place after outlasting a hardworking Valkyrie (9th) side– although they were also helped by a highly contentious refereeing decision along the way.

Despite the first half finishing goalless, both sides had good chances from free kicks. Hualien’s Yang Xuan saw her shot cleared off the line whilst at the other end of the field, Fu Chih-ling hit the frame of the goal after a teasing set-piece delivery.

With sixty-minutes played, Valkyrie scored when Hualien’s Ku Chien-yu conceded an own goal after Ma Ho-ya‘s cross inadvertently bounced off her knee. 

But with ten minutes to play, Hualien got the equalizing goal in controversial fashion. With both players chasing down a long-ball, Hualien striker Chen Yen-ping appeared to shove Zhou Lian-ni to the ground before getting onto the lofted pass and scoring. Deep into injury time, Hualien then scored their winner when a hopeful free-kick bounced off multiple players before Lin Kai-ling fired home from close range.

Kaohsiung Attackers: 5 – Taichung Sakura: 0

A masterclass of transition football allowed Kaohsiung (3rd) to completely dismantle Taichung (5th) at the Fu Jen University football field.

The Attackers scored within four minutes when Nao Tsukamoto won the ball in midfield before marching down the field and setting up Ting Chi for the easy finish. Kaohsiung doubled the lead when Wu Kai-ching and Chen Ji-wen combined down the right before Ting got the ball for another close-range strike. Liang Kai-jou’s swerving shot from just inside the box gave Kaohsiung their third goal before Chen finished off yet another rapid counterattack to make it four goals in a thirty minute spell.

The final goal was perhaps the best in terms of beautiful simplicity. A perfectly placed long ball from keeper Yoshimi Miki was moved up the field by Huang Ke-sin‘s glancing header and into the path of Lin Shi-yi, who then picked out the onrushing Huang to score with a first-time shot. 

Taichung Blue Whale: 2 – Taipei Bravo: 0

Blue Whale (2nd) kept pace with leaders Hang Yuan after a win against bottom side Taipei Bravo.

After dominating possession for most of the first half, Taichung finally found a way onto the scoresheet via a brilliant strike from Chang Chi-lan, who picked up the ball on the edge of the area, danced past a defender before unleashing a curling shot into the top corner.

Taichung then scored again just before halftime when Wu Zhi-ying conceded an own goal whilst trying to block a cross that had been whipped across the six-yard box.

Photo Credit: Lin Guan-qun (via their IG account: garrincha_77)