Page 14 - Women's Soccer Scene Issue No.11 2021-22

An interview with…..

Rachel Okoro (Southampton Women)

Southampton Women produced the result of the round
in the FAWNL League Cup when they won 5-1 against
Cardiff City Ladies, from the division above, to book their
place in the last sixteen.
Rachel Okoro, who opened the scoring in the
victory over Cardiff, described the win as an “amazing
result” and told us that she believes that their run of
seven straight wins can act as a springboard for a serious
promotion challenge in Division One South West:
WSS: Congratulations on an impressive result
on Sunday, is that as good a win as the team has
achieved?
RO: It was an amazing result for us. 5-1 against a team
that is doing well in the league above just shows what
we can achieve when we put our minds to it. I feel like
we’ve all been working as a team on and off the pitch
and supporting each other!
WSS: Playing against ten players is never as
easy as it seems, so did you feel that it was vital
you scored the next goal when the second half
started?
RO: We played as though they had 11 players in the sense that we played with the same
intensity and passion to win! For the first five minutes, we didn't look like the team likely to
score, however after we got into the match, we took our opportunities well and got rewarded
with a goal in the first half. This carried on in the second half and we managed to score four
more - all from different people and different types of goals.
WSS: That makes it seven wins on the trot in all competitions, do you feel that
the team has hit its best form now?
RO: The results we have produced recently have shown that we have hit our best form.
Scoring five against a team that is in the league above is a testament to show that we are
hitting a peak in our season and hopefully we can carry this on to finish this season.
WSS: The draw for the next round has not been too kind as you have drawn
Crawley Wasps, but how confident are you that you can give them a tough game?
RO: I am pretty confident that we can give them a tough game. Crawley Wasps are in the
league above, so it will be a good challenge for us to truly test if we are capable of producing
this kind of result consistently against bigger teams. We have all been working really hard
at training and the staff have planned carefully so hopefully this will pay off in the game
against Crawley.
WSS: This week it's the turn of the FA Cup and a relatively short trip to
Abingdon United, who are doing very well at the level below. What kind of
match are you anticipating with them?
RO: We are expecting a tough match. They are doing really well in the league below and this
could be a good opportunity for them to show that they’re ready for the league above, so we
need to be fit and ready for that game and not be complacent because at the end of the day
anything can happen.
WSS: Do you feel that good cup runs are going to enhance your challenge in the
league?
Issue no. 11 - 11 November 2021 womenssoccerscene@mail.com