The Western Bulldogs have fallen short in a thrilling round two VFLW clash against the Box Hill Hawks on Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs showed an improved performance, but couldn't close the narrow gap in the 5.4 (34) to 5.3 (33) affair.

The opening term was a battle for both teams in slippery conditions, but it didn’t stop Imahra Cameron from kicking a brilliant goal to put the Dogs in front early.

A swift centre clearance early in the second term led to Trinity Skenderis slotting her first goal for the afternoon to level scores heading into halftime.

It was Mali McLeod who opened the third term for the red, white and blue, kicking one to answer Box Hill’s two in a row.  

Key forward Brianna McFarlane contributed on the scoreboard to bring the Dogs back to a one-point margin.

The Hawks kicked away to an eight-point margin, but it was Dominique Carbone who responded by kicking her first goal this season to turn this game into an absolute thriller.

With 10 minutes to go it was a one-point ball game and the red, white and blue were hungry for the win.

However, neither side conceded in the close contest - allowing the Hawks to fly away victors by one point.  

Skenderis, McLeod, McFarlane, Carbone and Cameron made up the Dogs' five individual goal-scorers against the home side.

In the midfield, Sarah Skinner was a stand-out laying eight tackles and 27 disposals, while Tahlia Meier was next best collecting 24 touches and six marks.

Amanda Ling also continued her impressive form, leading the stat sheet with a game high 10 tackles.

The Bulldogs will look to seek redemption as they face North Melbourne on Good Friday 11am at ETU Stadium.   

WESTERN BULLDOGS  1.1   2.2  4.2  5.3 (33)

BOX HILL  1.0  2.2  5.4  5.4 (34)

Goals: Cameron, Skenderis, McLeod, McFarlane, Carbone