Goal hungry Mayo got their Lidl Ladies NFL Division 1 campaign off to a flying start, with an impressive 28-point victory over Westmeath at the NUIG Connacht Air Dome.

The hosts set the tone early on, with Maria Reilly finding the back of the Lake County net with less than a minute gone on the clock, despite Westmeath grabbing the opening score from Ciara Blundell.

The visitors found the net soonafter through Anna Jones, but Mayo added a hat-trick before the break, with Reilly grabbing her second goal, and Shauna Howley and Sinead Cafferky also raising green flags. on the way to a 4-11 to 1-5 interval lead.

Mayo emptied the bench in the second half, with substitutes Laura Moran and Sinead Walsh also adding goals on the way to a comfortable win, with a seventh goal added deep into injury-time.

Both sides were without a number of last year’s squads but it didn’t hinder the attacking threat of Michael Moyles selection who ran out comfortable winners, with 11 different scorers and a big impact from their bench.

Mayo dominated the first half taking a 15-point advantage into the break. Reilly scored the first of the evening inside the opening minutes when her looping effort deceived Westmeath goalkeeper Aoife Temple.

Westmeath reacted well to the early setback scoring next through Ciara Blundell and they found the net shortly afterwards with Anna Jones finishing a penalty to edge her side 1-1 to 1-0 in front.

But from then on it was all Mayo as they imposed their running game on Westmeath, Howley led the way and Reilly got her second goal to put Mayo into a 2-6 to 1-3 lead at the water break.

They got their third goal shortly after the resumption when Howley scored a deserved effort and they kept up the pressure adding five more points before the break and a fourth goal from Cafferkey to take a commanding lead at the interval.

The goals kept coming in the second half with Mayo hitting two more from substitutes Moran and Walsh just before the second water break. Westmeath kept plugging away led by Jones who kept the scoreboard ticking despite the onslaught of scores from Mayo.

Mayo manager Moyles gave his substitutions some game time late on as the contest wound down and that was repaid with scores including the two goals from Moran and Walsh.

There was another goal from Keane who finished off the final score in added time and Mayo turned their attentions to Round 2.