Ascot United Women v Oxford City Women

Report

BRILLIANT BETH SPEARHEADS YELLAWOMEN TO VICTORY

 

Lloyd at the double as Ascot beat Oxford 4-1

 

Impressive Beth Lloyd Scored twice as Ascot United Women beat Oxford City Women to move one point clear at the top of the Southern Region Women’s Football League on Sunday afternoon. The Yellawomen were in total control and effectively had the game won in racing to a 4-0 half-time lead, before City struck late-on in the second to reward their own battling display.

Ascot make light work of 2^nd-placed City.
The game was a match-up between first and second place as the early season title contenders went toe-to-toe, and the sixty-or-so fans braving the incessant drizzle would witness a first-half goal fest.

Ascot started well, and might have led after just eight minutes only for Lloyd to fire wide when racing onto Chloe Ball’s defence splitting pass.

There were, however, nervy moments at the other end when Emily Harris raced onto a ball over the top, lobbed Jody Gray Piazza albeit wide and short of target, before the latter recovered well to scramble the afters into her hands.

Jess Drage then split City’s defence open once again with an incisive pass, although Liv Glover’s first touch let her down and visiting ‘keeper Keira Maskell smothered at Glover’s feet.

But the pressure finally paid off in the 16^th minute. Kate Fox earnt her side a free kick on the right wing, Alix Todd sent a dangerous delivery to the far post, and Charlie Torry powered home a header to make it 1-0.

City battled well but Erin Huntley and Torry both snuffed out any threat of danger, before Ascot then doubled their lead on the half hour mark. This time, Leah Littlechild’s cross squirmed from Maskell’s grasp, and although there was still work to do for Lloyd, she hooked the ball into the bottom corner from ten yards out.

Drage and Littlechild then linked up for the latter to round Maskell and shoot, although City’s covering defence denied her a third.

At the other end, Gray-Piazza’s fine save maintained her side’s two goal advantage; Kaitlyn Crouch’s pass set up Ellie White for a powerful shot to which Gray-Piazza stood up well, before turning the effort away with her left hand.

Two in Three gives hosts unassailable advantage

But the damage was complete in the closing three minutes of the half when Littlechild dug out a hanging left wing cross that Maskell got a hand to, the ball then cannoned off a defender onto the right hand post, and Ball was in the right place to tap home number three.

And, Liv Glover then epitomised her side’s pressing game when she outmuscled and outsmarted visiting defender Billie French, French brought her down, and a penalty was the result. Up stepped Lloyd, who had seen a spot-kick saved two weeks earlier, to rifle a perfect effort into the top left; Maskell with absolutely no chance.

Game management perfectly executed after break
The second half was devoid of many clear-cut chances, although Glover almost capped a fine move four minutes after the restart when she fashioned space for a shot that Maskell got down well to tip away; Ball the provider after Lloyd and Littlechild had been involved in the build-up.

Maskell’s almost carbon-copy save turned Littlechild’s low effort around a post in the 69^th minute, but the highlight was a twenty-plus passing move near the end that required visiting defender Millie Hume to make a brilliant challenge on Ball as she shot.

City offered little going forwards up to that point, but their gritty resolve was rewarded in the 89^th minute via a speculative cross-shot that somehow crept in off the far post from the tightest of angles.

Lloyd’s late free kick found the side-netting for what might have been a performance-rewarding hat-trick, but The Yellawomen had done enough and 4-1 it remained.

After the game, home Manager Nathan Baker said “First half I thought we were amazing. After the break, we managed the game well. Beth [Lloyd] was superb. [Charlie] Torry had a cracking first half and Ella [Rowntree] was good at left-back before we mixed it up bringing Lucky [Georgia Luckhurst-McCord] on”.

What’s next for Ascot?

Adobe Women’s FA Cup fever returns to the Racecourse next Sunday for the visit of Woodley United. United are currently second and one point behind Ascot in the same division, and will no doubt be looking to avenge their opening day league defeat against The Yellawomen. They’ve come a long way since then having won all five matches on the trot.

It promises to be quite a rematch.

Ascot United: Gray-Piazza, Rowntree, Todd, Huntley, Drage, Torry, Fox, Littlechild, Lloyd, Ball, Glover. Subs (rolling): Holden, Luckhurst-McCord, Knight, Doyle, M. Robertson.

 

Entertainment:  4

Attendance (estimate): 60

Reporter’s Star Player: Beth Lloyd (Ascot United)

Goals:

Lloyd (30’, pen 45’)

Torry 16’

Ball 42’