Page 5 - Women's Soccer Scene Issue No. 15 2020-21

With top and bottom places having been decided in the FA Women’s
Championship the previous week, the main attention was focused on the
battle to finish as runners-up, which is now down to two teams.
Durham Women will go into Sunday’s final round of matches with
matters still in their own hands, despite going down to a 2-1 defeat at the
hands of in-form Charlton Athletic. Beth Lumsden gave Charlton the lead midway through
the first half and Jess King secured a third straight win for the Addicks with twenty minutes
remaining, despite Lauren Briggs scoring a late consolation for the Wildcats. Durham will still
take the runners-up spot if they win at home to Coventry Utd this weekend.
The two other teams which had been in the running for second place met each other,
and it was Liverpool who kept their hopes alive by winning an incident-packed match 1-0
away to Sheffield Utd. The Blades could have taken a first half lead but Katie Wilkinson’s
penalty hit the post, and six minutes later Amalie Thestrup put Liverpool in front. The Reds
themselves had a penalty of their own after the break but Kirsty Linnett’s kick was well saved
by Fran Kitching. That was not the end of the penalty drama though as a third spot kick was
awarded late on, this time to the Blades, and for the third time, it could not be converted as
Rylee Foster saved from Jade Pennock to give all three points to Liverpool, who play host to
London City Lionesses on Sunday.
Newly crowned Champions Leicester City travelled to the South Coast to play
Lewes and were beaten for only the second time this season. The only goal of the game came
in the 20th minute when, after Lucy Ashworth-Clifford was brought down in the area, Ini
Umotong stepped up to score a goal which means that the Rookettes will finish in a highly
creditable fifth place this season.
Coventry Utd continue to finish the season well and they notched up their fifth
victory, 5-2 against Crystal Palace. Katy Morris gave Coventry a fourth minute lead and
after Cherelle Khassal had levelled the scores for
Palace, Helen Dermody put them back in front
before half time. Coral Haines equalised once Charlton Athletic 2 (Lumsden 24, King 70)
more, from the penalty spot, after the break but Durham Women 1 (Briggs 88)
Morris gave Coventry the lead for a third time -
and they went on to seal the points with further Coventry Utd 5 (Morris 4,68, Dermody 36,86,
goals from Dermody and Amy Wathan. Wathan 79)
London Bees made sure of finishing Crystal Palace 2 (Khassal 19, Haines pen 58)
what has been a disappointing season on a high - Lewes 1 (Umotong pen 20)
note, beating Blackburn Rovers 3-2. Maria
Edwards opened the scoring for Rovers after Leicester City 0
-
sixteen minutes but goals either side of half time London Bees 3 (Gibson 44, Filis 47, Horwood 73)
from Nicola Gibson and Melissa Filis turned Blackburn Rovers 2 (Edwards 16, Jordan 54)
matters around for the Bees. Saffron Jordan -
levelled matters once more but the Bees were to Sheffield Utd 0
have the final say, Bonnie Horwood scoring the Liverpool 1 (Thestrup 29)
winner with seventeen minutes remaining.
CHAMPIONSHIP P W D L F A Pts GD
LEICESTER CITY 19 15 2 2 50 16 47 34
DURHAM WFC 19 11 6 2 27 14 39 13 LEADING SCORERS
22
LIVERPOOL 19 11 5 3 35 13 38 Katie WILKINSON Sheffield Utd 16
SHEFFIELD UTD 19 10 5 4 35 14 35 Nat Leicester City 15
21asha FLINT
LEWES 19 8 4 7 18 20 28 Bianca BAPTISTE Crystal Palace 8
-2
LONDON CITY LIONESSES 19 6 5 8 17 17 23 Bet 0h HEPPLE Durham Women 8
-6
CHARLTON ATHLETIC 19 4 7 8 19 25 19 Jess KING Charlton Athletic 6
BLACKBURN ROVERS 19 4 6 9 19 29 18 -10 Leicester City 6
Lachante PAUL
CRYSTAL PALACE 19 4 5 10 25 34 17 -9
COVENTRY UTD 19 5 1 13 20 44 16 -24
LONDON BEES 20 3 2 15 14 52 11 -38
Issue no. 15 - 29 April 2021 news@womenssoccerscene.co.uk