Box Hill suffered defeat at the hands of Essendon in its Round 8 VFLW clash, 1.9 (15) to 5.3 (33).

It was 18 points the difference come full time at Box Hill City Oval, with the Hawks unable to put a stop on the Bombers' flow and convert their opportunities.

A highlight of the game was Eastern Ranges young gun, Alyssia Pisano booting a magical left-foot snap for Box Hill's first and only goal of the match.

While the Hawks missed chances in front of goal, they battled relentlessly across the ground and showed consistent effort for the duration of the game.

Check out how the game unfolded below.

Q1

The game was relatively level in the opening stages, with a lot of back-and-forth play between the arcs. The Hawks had chances early in front of goal, but it was minors rather than the preferable majors. Essendon then managed to draw first blood of the game with a goal at the other end, followed by a second ten minutes later. It was Alyssia Pisano who opened the goal tally for the Hawks, slotting the team's first and only goal off her left boot with a snap in traffic. The Hawks went into the first break trailing by four points after a closely contested first term.

Q2

The Bombers seemed to gather and maintain momentum, managing a goal and two behinds in the second quarter. However, the Hawks recorded their lowest-scoring quarter with just the one behind going through. Grace McRae’s pressure was a standout, having laid a game-high 14 tackles throughout the match. Jordan Misfud was everywhere, racking up 20 disposals while Matilda Van Berkel managed five rebound 50s. Eleven points separated the two teams at the main break.

Q3

The third was a tussle of a quarter with neither team slotting a goal until inside the 17-minute mark, when the Bombers snuck one through. The Hawks had a few opportunities up forward but couldn’t find the big sticks. Box Hill battled with consistent effort, with skipper Nic Garner providing a strong and guiding voice from the backline to assist with structure up the field. It was a 15-point deficit with one quarter to go.

Q4

The Hawks had a final burst of effort in the last quarter, which saw them go down fighting. Essendon booted its fifth major midway through the term, while the Hawks managed to gain more possession of the ball late, converting to just three behinds and one rushed. Laura Stone, another Eastern Ranges product, showed consistent effort across all four quarters, managing a team-high 14 kicks, was the second-highest disposal-getter for the Hawks with 17, laid nine tackles and had five clearances.

Next weekend, the Hawks will look to regroup and improve as they take on Carlton once again on home deck from 3.15pm on Saturday.

Goals: Pisano

Disposals: Misfud 20, Stone 17, McRae 15, McDonagh 12, Van Berkel 12