City Women secured a point to qualify from their WNL Cup group, but they left Keynsham Town’s AJN Stadium frustrated after a 3-3 draw.
The Grecians dominated in terms of chances, but they were punished by a handful of hiccups at the back and an outstanding display from the Town goalkeeper. Georgia Vaccaro netted her first two goals of the season and Emily Pitman tapped home the crucial late equaliser, but City left Somerset pondering what could have been.
Abbie Britton made a host of changes to her team for their final Group B fixture in the Cup, with Tyrii Bell returning in goal, while Fearne Slocombe sat in the middle of a defensive back three alongside Emily Poole and Jess Sandland. Amber Pollock wore the captain’s armband in Bow Jackson’s absence, while Vaccaro partnered Pitman up top.
First half
Despite an early warning shot from the hosts that was fired over Bell’s crossbar, City were quick to assert their dominance, with a high press and continued possession causing problems for the Keynsham backline.
It was from that press that City took the lead after just six minutes. Putting pressure on a defender facing towards her own goal, Vaccaro stole the ball away from the woman in green before toe-poking it underneath the onrushing goalkeeper to put City 1-0 up.
The Grecians didn’t let the early strike halt their pressure, and they continued to pursue Town’s goal almost immediately after the restart, with Ishbel Zuurmond seeing a curled effort from the edge of the box go narrowly wide. Next, a cleared corner reached City’s number 10 on the edge of the box, and while she kept her volley down, it was hit into a wall of players and blocked away.
Pitman had two strong chances to double City’s lead around the 20-minute mark. A bouncing shot was hit straight at the Town stopper before she almost managed to round the goalkeeper, only for the keeper to reach out and grab the ball.
City were left ruing those missed opportunities on the half-hour mark, as a bouncing ball around the Grecians’ backline wasn’t dealt with. A heavy touch allowed a Keynsham striker to nip in and fire a powerful shot into the top corner, leaving Bell with no chance.
The match almost swung immediately back into City’s favour moments after that goal as Pitman crashed a shot off the inside of the post. Tia Asker found Maxted in central midfield, and she drove forward before laying it off to Pitman on the edge of the box. The striker took a touch, turned and shot, and it beat the keeper but not the woodwork.
Against the run of play, Keynsham then took the lead 10 minutes before the break. After winning a free-kick out on their left, a low curling shot snuck in at the front post to put the fourth tier side ahead.
Exeter looked frustrated but undeterred, and continued to launch wave after wave of attacks on the Keynsham goal. Vaccaro struck a fierce half-volley from the edge of the box that was turned around the post by the goalkeeper for a corner, which Jess Sandland swung towards the head of Fearne Slocombe, but her header hit the post.
An equaliser was coming, though, and City found their second goal five minutes before the break. After leaving her defender clutching at thin air, Asker sent a delightful cross into the six-yard box, which was met by a bullet header from Vaccaro that was placed into the bottom corner for 2-2.
City felt they should have gone into the break in the lead, but the assistant referee’s flag denied the Grecians a third goal. Zuurmond arched another curling shot from the edge of the box towards the top corner, and it was met by an impressive palm from the goalkeeper. Pitman was quickest to the rebound, and while she tucked it home, the assistant referee eventually ruled the striker offside.
Second half
The second half began as a much more 50/50 affair, with neither side managing to get a foothold on the ball, until Keynsham retook the lead after seven minutes. From the edge of the box, their striker curled a shot into the top corner, making it 3-2 with a large chunk of the second half remaining.
Abbie Britton immediately responded with a triple change from her bench, and one of those switches - Charlotte Whitmore - almost made an immediate impact as she hit a vicious shot after cutting in from the right, but it flew over the bar.
While City had the lion’s share of chances, Keynsham reminded them to stay alert when they ended up with the ball in the back of the net in the 64th minute, only to see the assistant raise his flag once again to deny a goal.
That moment seemed to wake the Grecians up, and from then all almost all the play took place in Keynsham’s half. Vaccaro was unlucky not to have a hat-trick as she saw two shots saved in a matter of minutes by the keeper.
The keeper kept out both Asker’s header and Poole’s followup from a corner before finally another breakthrough came for City in the 81stt minute. Zuurmond cut the ball across the box from the right back across goal, and a deft flick from Pitman rolled into the back of the net for 3-3.
City had several chances to win all three points in the closing moments, with Sandland having a corner swung on target palmed away, before another header from Vaccaro was blocked by the keeper in the dying seconds.
Despite that, the Grecians couldn’t find a fourth goal as the referee blew for full time.
Britton will feel frustrated that City couldn’t have taken all three points, but job done nonetheless, as the point confirmed City’s spot as Group B champions in the WNL Cup. The draw for the knockout stages will take place this Wednesday, September 30, before City are back on the road next Sunday, travelling to Fulham.
Exeter City Women: Bell, Pollock © (Whitmore, 58’), Sandland, Slocombe (Papaioannou, 58’), Poole, Asker (Le Poidevin, 82’), Maxted, McGowan (Lewis, 58’), Zuurmond, Pitman, Vaccaro.
Substitutes not used: Lockyer (GK), Jackson, Llewellyn.
Goals: Vaccaro 6’, 40’, Pitman 81’.