Joy Ralph became the youngest scorer in DLR Waves history as she hit a brace from the bench on her senior debut at the UCD Bowl.
The striker, who turned 16 two weeks ago, put the gloss on a fine performance as Waves blitzed Treaty United 5-0 on the opening day in Belfield.
Fellow debutante Lynn Craven opened the scoring late in the first half before Kerri Letmon and Avril Brierley found the target after the break.
The result left Waves briefly top of the Women’s National League on goal difference before Peamount United put six past new arrivals Sligo Rovers in the evening game.
It was the superb finishing of Ralph that was the talk of Belfield at full time, however, as the Ireland under-19 international put on a sterling late show.
She became Waves’ youngest-ever player when she replaced Brierley in the 69th minute - no player younger than 16 can play in the women’s league - and took just 11 minutes to find the target.
It was a superb finish on the half-volley after sub Sarah McKevitt - one of five to make their Waves debut - laid on an inch-perfect cross.
McKevitt, whose sister Jane was an unused substitute, laid on three assists in a blistering half-hour cameo on the right wing.
The scoreline doesn’t fully reflect how competitive Treaty were for the bulk of the first half, Don O’Riordan’s side more than holding their own until Craven’s opener.
Treaty keeper Michaela Mitchell did brilliantly to palm a Fiona Donnelly effort wide before denying former Bohemians captain Sophie Watters on the turn.
Letmon should have put Waves in front on 15 minutes from an inch-perfect Shauna Carroll cross but she couldn’t turn the ball home at the back post.
Carroll was the architect of the opener four minutes before half time as Mitchell could only punch her corner to Craven, and the Wexford Youths cup winner side-footed home.
Mitchell pulled off a fine save to deny Watters another debut goal moments later, facing the playmaker down one-on-one and forcing the ball behind.
Waves would be two up within a minute of the restart, however, as Carroll’s corner was flicked on by a Treaty defender and Letmon managed to steer the ball into the net.
McKevitt’s introduction for Carroll on the hour yielded immediate results as she broke free and crossed for Brierley to arrow a header in at the near post.
Waves turned up the pressure in the final half-hour and Mitchell managed to turn a fierce McKevitt shot onto the post.
The dam burst ten minutes from time as McKevitt found space on the right once more and crossed for Ralph to mark her senior debut with a brilliantly-taken finish.
And she wasn’t finished as she got on the end of yet another McKevitt centre to slot into an empty net deep in injury time.
DLR Waves: Eve Badana; Aoife Brophy, Jess Gleeson, Lynn Craven, Nicole Keogh; Fiona Donnelly (Katie Malone 69), Rachel Doyle (Mia Dodd 69), Sophie Watters; Kerri Letmon (Orlagh Fitzpatrick 77), Shauna Carroll (Sarah McKevitt 60), Avril Brierley (Joy Ralph 69).
Treaty United: Michaela Mitchell; Alix Mendez, Jesse Mendez, Shannon Parbot (Laoise Browne 69), Emma Deegan; Lauren Keane, Heidi O’Sullivan, Emma Costelloe; Amy Madden (Kelsey Wing 78), Emily O’Halloran, Cara Griffin (Olivia Gibson 55).
