City Ladies win third match in a row
EXETER CITY LADIES won again last weekend, this time 2-0 against St. Nicholas.The Grecians went into Sunday’s game with Bristolians St. Nicholas on the back of a strong winning run. Manager Clem Bennelick changed the line-up slightly after the return of midfielders Soph Currie and Dani Barr. Last week’s goal-scorer Courtney Butt moved to right-back with Barr and Currie coming into midfield alongside Paige Longworth and Kirsty Caunter.
City got off to a flying start, with their first chance coming after just five minutes. Longworth failed to connect with a Helen Kukor cross from the right flank. Caunter had a great chance to open the scoring after good link-up play between Longworth and Kukor, but her effort went narrowly over the crossbar. She did open the scoring on eighteen minutes. Kukor held the ball up front before laying it back to Caunter, who showed great technique to fire the ball into the bottom-left corner.
The Grecians felt aggrieved after they had a penalty appeal waved away by the ref after Kukor was taken out in the box. City continued to create chance after chance but couldn’t seem to put any beyond the St. Nicholas goalkeeper, who had to make some great saves. Caunter had a volley saved, Catherine Wright had a header travel just over the bar and Vic Barter saw her header hit the post.
City had to make their first substitution just before half-time after Kukor injured her hamstring. As a result, Lucie Waddon made her City debut up front with Vic Barter. Corinne Potts looked outstanding in defence alongside Wright, with the midfield quartet of Caunter, Longworth, Barr and Currie working extremely hard to break down any opposition attack.
Again City looked sharp at the beginning of the second half. In the first two minutes Butt took on three defenders and then fired just wide. On fifty-five minutes, St. Nicholas had their best chance. City goalie Abbi Bond made a great save after a header from the striker looked like a certain goal.
City continued to try and get the second goal to kill the game off. In the 63rd minute Wright hit the post with a great free-kick and Barr turned the defender and had a shot saved just two minutes later.
Sub Phoebe Licence made her debut in the eightieth minute when she came on for Soph Currie. St. Nicholas should have had a player sent off in the eighty-seventh minute when Kirsty Caunter was taken out by their last defender when through on goal. The ref saw it as just a yellow.
It wasn’t until the eighty-ninth minute that City finally got their second goal. A cross in by Licence from the right hand side was well controlled by Longworth in the box who rifled the ball past the keeper. 2-0 the final score.