Jess Park scored four goals as England began their UEFA Women’s U19 Championship qualifying campaign with a resounding 8-0 win over Cyprus.
The Manchester City attacker opened the scoring after just two minutes, firing past Ioanna Georgiou from a tight angle.
She doubled the lead from the penalty spot just before the quarter-hour mark and completed her hat-trick with just 25 minutes on the clock by evading the attentions of four defenders before beating Georgiou from close range.
Holly Manders struck the post directly from a corner just moments before scoring England’s fourth.
The Durham forward dispossessed Cyprus captain Elena Aristodimou in the centre of the park before strolling forward an unleashing a 25-yard drive which sailed over Georgiou.
Park notched her fourth, and England’s fifth, on 62 minutes after being found by Simran Jhamat, who had a goal chalked off for offside in the first half.
Substitute Katie Bradley, on for Manders, then benefitted from a weak goal kick by Georgiou to lob home the sixth goal.
Another substitute, Ebony Salmon – on for Anabel Blanchard – danced through the Cyprus defence to add a seventh in the final minute, with Lucy Roberts completing the scoring in added time.
Next up for the Young Lionesses is host nation Belarus on Saturday followed by Serbia next Tuesday.
The top two sides in each of the 12 first qualifying round groups plus the four third-placed teams with the best record against the top two in their section will enter the elite round draw on Thursday 21 November.
The elite round is scheduled for next spring with the eight-team finals taking place in Georgia next July.
England (3-4-3): 13 Rose Kite (Southampton Women's FC - on loan from Reading); 14 Lucy Roberts (University of South Florida), 17 Aimee Everett (Leicester City), 15 Abbie Roberts (Rutgers University); 12 Simran Jhamat (Leicester City), 20 Phoebe Williams (Southampton), 8 Molly Pike (capt; Everton), 3 Beth Roberts (Stoke City); 16 Jessica Park (Manchester City), 18 Annabel Blanchard (Leicester City), 11 Holly Manders (Durham).
Substitutes: 6 Kiera Skeels (Reading) for Pike 46, 7 Katie Bradley (Manchester City) on for Manders 62, 10 Ava Kuyken (University of Florida State) for Park 62, 9 Ebony Salmon (Bristol City) for Blanchard 79, 4 Missy Bo Kearns (Liverpool) for Williams 79.
Substitutes not used: 1 Frances Stenson (Blackburn Rovers - on loan from Arsenal), 2 Asmita Ale (Aston Villa), 5 Naomi Hartley (Sheffield United), 19 Libby Smith (Leicester City).
Goals: Park 2, 12 (pen), 25, 62, Manders 31, Bradley 78, Salmon 90, Lucy Roberts 90+2.
Head coach: Emma Coates
