The three-time golden boot striker kick-started her side's 8-1 win over Canberra United Academy on Sunday.

Netting two puts her on the right track to match her 23 goals last season before the NPL was cut short due to COVID-19.

Although the golden boot is the last thing Palombi was thinking about when she took to the field.

"It was a really good way to start the season," she said.

"Last year CUA was the only team that we dropped points against. So we were a little bit nervous before the game, but we started off strong and I think just kept going.

"We are all relieved, I think, but we still know there's definitely stuff to improve on, which is a pretty good thing to know that we still won 8-1 and there's room for improvement."

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Shortly after an Academy player added to the home side's lead to make it 2-0.

Captain Alice Churchill threaded a ball through into the box to find Bella Barac's feet to make it 3-0, some 20 minutes into the contest.

Before Dianne Wilson, Sienna Birnie, Jennifer Bisset, Palombi and Rhiannon Fensom added to the tally to make it eight at full time for Croatia.

United's Sofia Christopherson clawed one back for the visitors in the 53^rd minute but it did little to dent the four goal deficit, before it blew out to seven.

Last year's premiers put a similar team out on the park to 2021 after losing five players, with the notable absence of Grace Gill up front; who remained rested.

It was a vastly different story for CUA, who had a very different lineup to last year's with only a handful of players putting back on the green shirt in the first grade.

Palombi said although her side had lost a few faces across the park they had recruited well.

"They've honestly just slotted right in, they've been great and a really good addition to the team in terms of on and off the field," she said.

"All of them have been able to just fit in nicely and I think it honestly improves our team. We did lose a couple of quality players, but I think we gained just as good as we lost. So it's all worked out pretty well for us."

Down at Gissing Oval it was another large scoreline to swallow.

A new look Canberra Olympic FC made sure to send a message to the rest of the competition in their first match.

The visitors did not hold back against Wagga City Wanderers FC, keeping a clean sheet and hammering 13 past the home side.

Meg Roden proved the star for Olympic with a hat-trick in the opening 53 minutes. Similarly Olivia Fogarty, Michaela Thornton, Olivia Gurney and Tianah Miro slotted home two each, before Nicole Jalocha and Ali Cook put one a piece past Wagga.

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