The Newcastle Jets need to get their defence in order quickly if they want to be a realistic top-four contender after conceding five goals for the second week straight in another unhappy Melbourne trip.
The Jets staged a second-half fightback but the damage was done in the opening 25 minutes of their 5-2 loss to Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Sunday night.
Melina Ayres and Kayla Morrison both scored doubles in what was a devastating first period of the A-League Women's round-five match for the visitors. Morrison later completed a match hat-trick to seal the comprehensive win.
The heavy defeat came after Newcastle were beaten 5-1 by Melbourne City in round four and left them in ninth place on four points and with the worst defensive record in the league.
They have now leaked 16 goals in five appearances and must address the problem fast with a quick turnaround to host Brisbane at No.2 Sportsground on Friday night.
The first goal was scored from the penalty spot in the fifth minute after Jets left-back Leia Puxty clipped Alana Murphy late in the 18-yard box.
Ayres stepped up and slotted into the bottom right corner.
It came on the counter attack after Newcastle had penetrated Victory's box and goalkeeper Casey Dumont was forced to make a scrambling save with Jets striker Ash Brodigan bearing down on her.
It was 2-0 three minutes later. Alex Chidiac played a neat pass from the top of the area straight through Newcastle's backline to find Ayres, who took a touch past Jets shot-stopper Claire Coelho and finished into the net with the outside of her right foot.
Jets' American signing Sarah Griffith whipped a cross into box in the 12th minute but Dumont palmed it away under pressure.
The third goal came off a corner, and some poor defence, in the 19th minute when an unmarked Morrison struck with a back-post header.
Chidiac sprayed a shot over the bar in the 20th minute then Coelho made a leaping save to deny Murphy in the 21st.
But Morrison was again left unmarked in the 25th and made Newcastle pay when she got a foot onto the end of a long-range free kick to finish from close range and give Victory a comfortable 4-0 lead.
As was the case the previous week, Newcastle came out of the sheds firing after half-time and were rewarded with two goals before Victory struck again.
Griffith gave the Jets hope with a goal in the 49th minute, making the scoreline 4-1.
The long-range effort came moments after Dumont had been stretchered from the field following a collision with Newcastle striker Ash Brodigan and replaced by 19-year-old Miranda Templeman.
Brodigan closed the gap to 4-2 when she scored with a volley from the edge of the 18-yard box in the 73rd minute after Griffith's initial shot was deflected by a Victory defender.
Griffith put a shot over the bar in the 63rd minute and one across the face of goal in the 80th as the Jets continued to threaten.
But the rout was sealed in the 87th minute when Morrison completed her hat-trick in a goalmouth scramble from a corner.
Frustration was evident for the visitors with Coelho lashing out at Morrison after the goal and earning a yellow card for her troubles.
Coelho had replaced Georgina Worth in the only change to Newcastle's starting line-up.
It was the long-serving Jets shot-stopper's first start of the season.
In other round-five results over the weekend, newcomers Western United stayed unbeaten competition leaders with a 3-1 win over Melbourne City, Brisbane beat Wanderers 1-0, Adelaide downed Wellington 1-0 and Perth defeated Canberra 3-2.
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