Watford Ladies kicked off the 2018/19 season in perfect fashion as they sunk Cardiff City 5-2 at Kings Langley.
A hat-trick from Wales' all-time top scorer and club captain Helen Ward proved the resultant difference between the two sides, while a brace from debutant Andrea Carid added to a dominant display from Armand Kavaja's side.
Flying start cancelled out early on
The Golden Girls got their season off to a flying start as Ward opened the scoring with just seven minutes on the clock, nonchalantly slotting the ball past compatriot Laura O'Sullivan in the Cardiff goal.
However, their lead only lasted a little more than ten minutes.
Goalkeeper Weronika Baranowska, making her senior debut, was left in an awkward one-on-one situation with Kylie Nolan, who made the most of the time and space she found in the Watford penalty area to equalise for the visitors.
The Polish stopper was put under considerable pressure for the remainder of the half, doing well to thwart efforts from Kelly Isaac and Nadia Lawrence.
On the brink of half-time, Watford were granted the perfect chance to restore their lead as Linda Afuakwah was felled in the penalty area. Ward refused to pass up the opportunity for her second of the game, sending O'Sullivan the wrong way.
Hornets run out of reach after the break
Kavaja's team came storming out of the blocks after the break, with half-time substitute Katie O'Leary coming close after 10 second-half minutes.
Carid was introduced on the hour and took less than five minutes to leave her mark on the game.
The Spanish forward finished into the open net after some good work from Ward to set her up.
Carid wrapped the game up with fifteen minutes of regulation time remaining, scoring from a similar situation to her first goal.
The scoring for the Golden girls was completed in the 84th minute as Afuakwah made her way to the byline before squaring the ball for Ward to tap home.
Cardiff made for a slightly more respectable scoreline as Nolan notched her second of the game in the dying stages, reducing the deficit to three goals.
Despite such a virtually flawless start to their campaign, Watford sit third in the table, and face one of the teams ahead of them in Loughborough Foxes on Sunday.