Papua New Guinea’s star striker Marie Kaipu is back.

She scored a hat-trick of goals in PNG’s 8-0 thrashing of Cook Islands of the OFC Women’s Nations Cup clash at Churchill Park, Lautoka, on Thursday.

The big win saw PNG top Group A and will play either Solomon Islands or Vanuatu in the semi-final.

PNG defender Olivia Upaupa said they are here to defend the title.

“After our Tahiti game, we had to make a strong comeback,” she said.

“We want to make it to the finals. This motivated us and the players stepped up since we are the defending champions.”

Upaupa said the return of Kaipu from injury has boosted the team.

Leading up to the semi-final, she said, they will leave the gameplan to the coach while they go through their recovery.

“Our focus is on our training and other preparations,” she added.

The return of Marie Kaipu to the starting XI and the focal point to their attack restored, the reigning Nations Cup champions would have been keen to end the group stage with a statement performance against the Cook Islands.

It perhaps shouldn’t have come as a surprise to see Kaipu and captain Ramona Padio at the heart of PNG taking an early lead.

Padio crossed to Kaipu in the box, and the number nine shot at Courtney Napa who couldn’t hold it, with Michaelyne Butubu on hand to head the rebound into the Cook Islands net.

Kaipu doubled the lead five minutes later with a typically composed finish after being played in by Padio and outpacing her marking centreback.

Phylis Pala added a third with a low drilled shot from distance, and a minute later Keren Kalapai got her name on the scoresheet with a sharp turn and finish.

Kaipu netted a second brilliant goal just after the half hour mark, using her pace to intercept the ball before it got to an outstretched diving Cook Islands goalkeeper Courtney Napa, and showing some precise footwork to keep the ball in play before picking her spot in the net. She got her hat trick in the 39th minute, rewarded for pressing Napa with the ricochet nestling in the bottom corner.

PNG picked up where they left off in the second half, setting up camp in the Cook Islands’ half. Padio got her name on the scoresheet next with a driven shot from outside the penalty area, the ball crashing over the line off the crossbar just before the hour mark.

Kalapai got her second goal of the game in the 70th minute, taking advantage of a mistake from Napa to complete her brace.