Exeter City Women moved to the top of their WNL Cup Group with a thrilling 4-3 win against Bristol Rovers at the County Ground.
The Grecians raced into a three-goal lead within the opening 30 minutes as Giota Papaioannou, Phoebe Baker and Maya Kendell all netted before the visitors pulled a goal back five before the break.
City continued to attack in the second half, and had several opportunities to extend their lead before substitute Ellie Sara continued her red-hot form, scoring her fifth goal in three games. Rovers did pull two more goals back, both in rather spectacular fashion, towards the back end of the match, but Exeter held on to secure all three points.
Abbie Britton made a raft of changes from last Sunday’s 3-1 victory against Lewes, with Papaioannou making her full Grecian debut from the start, while Tyrii Bell came in between the posts and Emily Pitman and Georgia Vaccaro started up front. With Bow Jackson on the bench, Baker wore the captain’s armband in the middle of midfield, while under-18 player Lauren Le Poidevin was named on a senior bench for the first time.
First half
City attacked from the off at the County Ground, with Tia Asker coming close twice in the opening phases. First, the wing-back curled a shot from the edge of the box but it was straight down the keeper’s throat, before she tried another effort from distance which flew over the bar.
Papaioannou was proving to be a threat at corners, as Jess Sandland picked her out at the back post but both her volleys were blocked. However, she wasn’t to be denied from the next corner.
Sandland once again sent a delightful dead ball over to the back post, where the Greek defender volleyed the ball expertly into the ground, bouncing it into the net for 1-0.
The Grecians continued their treat from corners almost immediately after the restart, with Sandland picking out Slocombe this time, but her header went over, before City’s second came from a different type of set-piece.
Winning a deep free-kick inside Rovers’ half, Sandland swung another ball into the box which was met by Baker first time, and her flick bounced off the post and the keeper before trickling over the line to double the lead.
Just after the half-hour mark City had a third, and Kendell was back amongst the goals in red and white. Played in down the right, City’s number eleven dashed into the box and shot powerfully, sneaking under the keeper and in for three.
It could’ve been four just moments later as a Sandland corner on the opposite side once again found Papaioannou, but her shot was deflected out of play.
The visitors did pull a goal back against the run of play as the half came to an end, as a long ball caught out the Grecians’ defence and Helena Costa rifled a half-volley beyond Bell.
Second half
Britton made a triple change from her bench at the start of the second half, with Saskia Heard, Emily Poole and Le Poidevin coming on, the latter making her City debut.
Those changes didn’t dent City’s attacking momentum though, with Pitman and Papaioannou having shots saved and go over respectively. Vaccaro did have the ball in the back of the net when she rushed onto a through ball and nudged it past the keeper, but the assistant’s flag denied her first goal of the season.
Vaccaro had another effort on target saved by the keeper before Sara came off the bench to re-establish City’s three goal advantage.
Dashing down the right in the 77th minute, Kendell spotted Sara unmarked in the box. She sent a fantastic low ball across the box, which our number nine made no mistake from, smashing the ball beyond the keeper and in.
Rovers did pull a goal back almost immediately as a shot from the edge of the box looped over Bell and in, dragging the score back to 4-2.
City will be frustrated they didn’t get a fifth during the final stretches of the game, with both Sara and Vaccaro shooting off-target, but it was the Gas who netted the final goal. A free-kick from the top corner of the box was sent into the top corner, making the score 4-3. However, there was only seconds left to play, and the referee soon blew the final whistle after the Grecians’ kick-off.
Three wins on the bounce and two in the WNL Cup put City in pole position to qualify for the knockouts, ahead of the groupstage’s final fixture away at Keynsham Town at the end of September. Before then, the Grecians will return to SJP as they face AFC Bournemouth on September 20. Get your tickets for that match by clicking here!
Exeter City Women: Bell, Kendell, Sandland (Heard, 46'), Papaioannou, Slocombe (Poole, 46'), Asker (Le Poidevin, 46'), Maxted, Baker (Zuurmond, 71'), McGowan, Pitman (Sara, 71'), Vaccaro.
Substitutes not used: Lockyer (GK), Jackson.
Goals: Papaioannou 8', Baker 19', Kendell 32', Sara 77'.