Ishbel Zuurmond scored a spectacular 98th minute equaliser to steal a point on the road for City Women, as they fought back in dramatic fashion twice to draw 4-4 with Cheltenham Town.
After falling 3-0 down in the opening 30 minutes, the Grecians switched the game on it's head in six dramatic minutes at the end of the first half, with three goals in quick succession from Charlotte Whitmore, Ishbel Zuurmond and Ellie Sara levelling proceeding. Despite City dominating the attacking play throughout the second half, Cheltenham Town went ahead again against the run of play midway through the half.
The Grecians kept pressing though, and it took until the eighth minute of added time for the ball to find it's way to Zuurmond 30 yards from goal, and she sent a rocket of a shot into the top corner to ensure City returned to Devon with a point.
Abbie Britton made just one change from her last league XI that saw off Lewes 3-1 two weeks ago, as Beth McGowan came into the starting lineup in the centre of midfield. Darcey Maxted retained her place on the bench after strong showings in the WNL Cup, while Ffion Llewellyn returned to the team she represented before joining City this summer.
First half
The hosts began with the initiative, pressing City from the start and forcing several risky moments. Erin Foley had to be quick to clear a ball passed back to her, while two forwards pressed, while Fearne Slocombe made a superbly timed last-ditch tackle to deny a striker an opportunity to shoot unopposed.
These were just warnings though, as Cheltenham soon took the lead after City couldn’t clear their lines. A Robins corner was initially cleared, before being returned into the box. Emily Owen was left unmarked at the back post, and headed the ball in from yards out to go 1-0 up.
City almost instantly responded as a deflected Slocombe shot fell at the feet of Zuurmond, but her drive from an angle, just inside the six-yard box, was pushed out for a corner.
That shot came to nothing, and after Foley had to be on her toes to keep out a low curling Robins free-kick, City found themselves 2-0 down after just 23 minutes. Leo Joyce found a square yard of room on the edge of the Grecians’ box, and picked out the top corner of Exeter’s net, giving Foley no chance.
The Grecians didn’t look like a side who were two behind though when they went forward, as the goalkeeper denied both Sara and Zuurmond again before the hosts scored an agonising third, just before the half hour mark. A long ball was latched onto by Joyce inside the box, and she calmly slotted across goal to make it 3-0.
Abbie Britton responded to that third goal with an uncommon double change in the 30th minute, and the two substitutes almost made an immediate impact as Giota Papaiouannou connected with Nia Lewis’ wide free-kick, but the keeper smothered the ball.
City kept pushing though, and were rewarded for their efforts with a crazy five-minute spell at the end of the first half to go in level.
First, Tia Asker dashed down the left before cutting the ball back on the floor for Whitmore. She took a touch before curling a shot from the edge of the box, beating the Cheltenham goalkeeper as it nestled in the far corner to claw a goal back.
Attacking almost immediately from the kick-off, Zuurmond made the deficit a single goal with a spectacular strike. City’s number 10 cut in from the left, took up a similar position to Whitmore before looping an effort into the top corner, drawing the game back to 3-2.
Despite the clock ticking down to half-time, Exeter weren’t prepared to stop there. Zuurmond drove at the box, playing it down the inside to Sara who slammed a ball into the roof of the net from close range to make the game level at the break.
Second half
After a 15 minute breather that many in Kayte Lane were thankful for, City began the second half as the first ended, attacking the Robins’ goal.
Zuurmond was enjoying herself while taking on Town defenders, and she beat two before sending a low shot across goal, but it trickled wide of the target. Next, she glided past three in midfield, making inroads into City’s half, but she couldn’t find space for a shot. The ball broke for Lewis out of a crowd of players, however her shot from distance flew just over.
Whitmore was next to find joy down the wings, as she raced onto two attacking loose balls in the space of three minutes. First, the forward cut a ball back on the byline for her strike partner Sara, but her pass was just out of reach for City’s number nine. Next Whitmore tried an effort of her own, however she couldn’t get a bouncing ball under control and her shot flew off target.
Papaioannou and Amber Pollock both had shots narrowly off target and saved respectively, before City were made to rue their missed opportunities as Cheltenham re-took the lead in the 68th minute.
A long clearance wasn’t dealt with by the City backline, and Joyce latched onto it, cutting into the box from the left and poking the ball past Foley for her hattrick.
From this moment, the hosts seemed content to sit back and defend their lead, leaving the emphasis on City to attack and find a way back into the match. Back in her former home, Llewellyn had two chances from a wide free-kick after Pollock was hauled down, but both were blocked by several brave defenders throwing themselves at the ball.
Lewis hit the inside of the goal frame directly from a corner, before another attacking substitute, Georgia Vaccaro had two flicked headers caught by the goalkeeper.
Just as time looked to be running out, up stepped Zuurmond. Now playing up front, Papaioannou shielded the ball and laid it off to Zuurmond on the edge of the box. With a melee of players ahead of her, the City attacker had no other option but to shoot, and with that she unleashed a worldie effort directly into the top corner, stealing a point just as the full-time whistle touched the referee’s lips.
Not the way Abbie Britton would’ve wanted to pick up a point, but Zuurmond’s late stunner continues the Grecians’ unbeaten run to five matches across league and cup.
Next up, the Grecians return to St James Park next Sunday to take on AFC Bournemouth. After 15 goals scored in their last four matches, entertainment is guaranteed at SJP, so get your ticket for Sunday’s 2pm kick-off and back City Women, by clicking here!
Exeter City Women: Foley, Pollock, Llewellyn, Jackson ©, Slocombe (Pitman, 77'), Asker (Kendell, 65'), Poole (Papaioannou, 31'), McGowan (Lewis, 31'), Zuurmond, Whitmore, Sara (Vaccaro, 65').
Substitutes not used: Bell (GK), Papaioannou, Kendell, Maxted, Lewis, Pitman, Vaccaro.
Goals: Whitmore 39’, Zuurmond 41’, 90+8’, Sara 44’,