Page 5 - Women's Soccer Scene Issue No.18 2022-23

The Robins made it through by beating Oxford Utd 4-0 with goals from Shania Hayles,
Jodie Hutton, Jess Woolley and Emily Syme.
The other all-WSL game went all the way to a penalty shootout after Leicester City and
Reading FC Women had battled out a 2-2 draw. Sanne Troelsgaard gave Reading a fifth
minute lead which was cancelled out on the half hour by Sam Tierney, and normal time could
not produce a winner, taking the game into the extra period. Leicester went in front for the
first time through Hannah Cain but this time, Reading were to recover and Emma Mukandi
equalised. Once again, the teams could not be separated and it was the Royals who were 3-2
winners from the penalty spot.
Reading will be away to WSL opponents again in the Fifth Round, this time to
Tottenham Hotspur who negotiated an awkward tie against Championship leaders
London City Lionesses with a 5-0 victory. Beth England and Mana Iwabuchi put Spurs
two ahead at the break and Drew Spence added a third early in the second half. An own goal
from the unfortunate Harley Bennett increased Tottenham’s lead and Eveliina Summanen
completed the scoring with ten minutes left.
West Ham Utd made the trip to FAWNL Northern Premier Division title holders
Wolverhampton Wanderers and returned with a 2-0 victory under their belts. Dagny
Brynjarsdottir has been in excellent scoring form in recent weeks and she broke Wolves’
resistance with the opening goal, nineteen minutes from time, and an own goal by Katie
Johnson gave them a two-goal cushion, which they never conceded.
The Hammers have landed a home tie in the Fifth Round and have been paired with
Aston Villa, who recorded the highest score on the day against Fylde Women. Rachel
Daly led the scoring for Villa as she bagged a four-goal haul and she was joined on the
scoresheet by seven other players. Layra Blindkilde, Kenza Dali, Emily Gielnik and Anna
Patten all found the net during the first half, before Alisha Lehmann, Maz Pacheco and Sarah
Mayling added further goals late on in the game.
Brighton & Hove Albion made the trip to West Bromwich Albion and recorded
their first win under Jens Scheuer, winning 7-0 against their opponents from two tiers
below. Rebekah Stott opened the scoring after six minutes, with Julia Olme netting a brace
ahead of half time. Danielle Carter made it four within ten minutes of the restart and the
Seagulls went on to add further goals through Katie Robinson, Brianna Visalli and Jorja Fox.
Brighton will be at home in the Fifth Round, to Coventry Utd who continued their
upsurge in form by beating Hashtag Utd 4-0. Ellen Jones and Mary McAteer both scored
inside the opening twenty minutes, before Alanah Mann made it three on the stroke of half
time. Any hopes of a comeback by the Tags were brought to an end when Freya Thomas
scored the fourth goal with fifteen minutes remaining.
The Fifth Round ties will be played on the weekend of 25/26 February. The winning
teams will receive £20,000 in prize money, with £5,000 going to the losers.
Meanwhile, the Football Association has confirmed that following tickets going on
general sale this month after an initial pre-sale, over 30,000 tickets have now been sold for
the forthcoming Vitality Women’s FA Cup Final.
With the showpiece event at Wembley Stadium Connected by EE just under four months
away on Sunday 14th May, fans have shown how much anticipation there is for one of the
most prestigious events in the domestic calendar, with encouraging ticket sales in recent
weeks.
Last season’s Final between Chelsea and Manchester City saw a record-breaking crowd
in attendance, when 49,094 fans witnessed the Blues overcome the Cityzens 3-2 after extra
time in one of the most tightly fought and memorable Women’s FA Cup Finals.
Tickets for this year’s Final can be purchased via the Wembley Stadium website. For
accessible tickets, please call 0800 093 0824.
news@womenssoccerscene.co.uk