Two wins on the trot mean Melbourne will finish top irrespective of results in the final round of matches to be played on Saturday.
Yada Sengyong was called into action early on to deny Laura Hughes but the College of Asian Scholars custodian was helpless in the 16th minute when Mariana Speckmaier rose highest to nod in Rhianna Pollicina’s corner.
Melbourne had further opportunities to increase their lead with Tyla-Jay Vlajnic coming close in the 32nd minute with her looping header beating Yada but not defender Phonphirun Philawan who made a goal line clearance.
Just before the break, Vlajnic again popped up in the opposition box to fire a shot but it was straight at Yada who calmly collected.
Vlajnic was to be the Thai side’s chief tormentor, doubling Melbourne’s lead six minutes into the second half when she tapped home from close range after Speckmaier had got in between Yada and Kanjanaporn Saenkhun to flick the ball to her teammate.
College of Asian Scholars thought they had pulled a goal back in the 55th minute when Pikul Khueanpet bundled home a spill from Melbourne custodian Malena Garcia following Tipkritta Onsamai’s free-kick but she was deemed to have strayed into an offside position when her effort was made.
Instead, it was Melbourne who added to their lead in the 67th minute when Lourdes Bosch – two minutes after coming on as a substitute – benefited from a misplaced clearance from Tipkritta to slam home the ball home to cap another impressive performance from the Australian champions.
Having booked their knockout stage spot, Melbourne will look to end their campaign with a perfect record when they face Kaya FC-Iloilo of the Philippines on Saturday with College of Asian Scholars still with a chance of progression should they get a win against Islamic Republic of Iran’s Bam Khatoon.
