The Borussia Dortmund women's football team oozed spirit and superiority as they ran out 8-0 winners away to the SV Hohenlimburg second team and went top of the Bezirksliga. The goals were scored by Vanessa Kuhl (2), Mandy Reinhardt (2), Marie Grothe, Ana Louisa Zabell and Lea Rogge-Herper, plus one own goal.

"Spitzenreiter, Spitzenreiter! Hey! Hey," (League leaders, league leaders! Hey! Hey!) were the words echoing around the Erich-Berlet-Stadion as BVB players and fans celebrated a convincing win and moved top of the table. Coach Sulewski switched half of his outfield players compared to the 4-0 victory against Ahlen, with Gerres, Jung, Pörteners, Auffenberg and Billig starting in place of Hentrich, Klemann (both holiday), Lau (COVID-19), Bergmann and Zabell (both substitutes).

Any late arrivals to the stadium will have missed an entertaining start to the game that was brimming with goalscoring opportunities. Vanessa Kuhl could have put the Black & Yellows ahead in the third and sixth minutes, but narrowly missed the target with a header and a shot from an unmarked position. At the other end, Sandra Schröer managed to get her fingertips to a dangerous low strike from one of the Hohenlimburg players. Maria Grothe then did not get the rub of the green in front of goal: she had her first effort denied by the keeper (11), and then fired over from an unmarked position a short while later (14).

As the game approached the quarter-hour mark, the Black & Yellows began to find their groove in front of goal. Vanessa Kuhl opened the scoring with an early brace: she first converted a left-footed shot on the turn and then volleyed home a pinpoint cross from Lea Auffenberg three minutes later – an outstanding goal.

The tempo of the match remained high in the ensuing minutes, with Sulewski's charges now making very good use of space. Midfield engine Marie Grothe played the ball wonderfully into the path of Mandy Reinhardt, who converted a neat left-footed shot (22). The Grothe-Reinhardt partnership worked so well that they linked up again to devastating effect a short while later: Marie Grothe played the ball towards Mandy Reinhardt, whose shot slipped under the goalkeeper's body and into the net (30). Shortly before the half-time whistle, Sandra Schröer made another lightning quick reaction save to stop her team conceding a first goal of the season. "The pitch was difficult to play on. Very wet, very deep, very long grass. But we moved the ball about well and immediately built confidence," was coach Thomas Sulewski's conclusion after the opening 45 minutes.

Anyone who spent a little too long returning to their seats after their Bratwurst break will have missed the next goalmouth action. Lea Auffenberg struck the outside of the post only three minutes after the interval, before Maria Grothe scored her first goal in a BVB shirt in the 52nd minute. She hammered the ball under the crossbar with power and conviction, and appeared relieved after the final whistle: "I'm very happy about the goal, that the matter is now settled and I don't have to think about it any longer.

The opposition's resolve was now broken – if it wasn't already – and the Black & Yellow Kreisliga champions dropped down a gear while continuing to pose a threat. Two substitutes then teamed up from a set-piece to make it 6-0, with Luisa Bergmann taking the free-kick and Ana Louisa Zabell heading home (66). Fellow substitute Lea Rogge-Herper then got herself on the scoresheet on the 72-minute mark. Rogge-Herper prodded a low cross from Mandy Reinhardt over the goalkeeper and into the net to register her first goal of the season. A stoppage-time own goal then completed the 8-0 victory.

"A deserved margin of victory. There are one or two situations at the back that we can definitely defend even more consistently, but we can certainly also score more goals going forward," said a satisfied Maria Grothe, who sees room for improvement on the pitch. Unlike in the Bezirksliga table: as the prior league leaders from Lohauserholz were not in action, the Black & Yellows leapfrogged them into pole position with nine points and an 18-0 goal difference. Thomas Sulewski added: "Finally we're league leaders! And now we want to stay there."

BVB: Schröer – Gerres, Jung, Rechenbach, Pörteners – Becker (Bergmann, 63) – Auffenberg (Zabell, 54), Grothe (Rogge-Herper, 63), Billig, Kuhl (Bedarf, 73) – Reinhardt (Kaul, 73)

Goals: 1-0 Kuhl (15), 2-0 Kuhl (17), 3-0 Reinhardt (22), 4-0 Reinhardt (30), 5-0 Grothe (52), 6-0 Zabell (66), 7-0 Rogge-Herper (71), 8-0 Schindhelm (own goal, 90+1)

(df)