Cup defense goes down the road!

United’s defence of the league cup game to a disappointing end with a lack lustre display against Mansfield Road, a team they had twice convincingly beaten this season in the league.

However, Woodley started strongly and took the lead as early as the eighth minute when Rosie Page-Smith lobbed Sophie Smith in the visitors’ goal to open the scoring with her first goal for the senior team. The scored could have been doubled two minutes later when Louise Williamson found Laura Woodley who sprinted unmarked from the half way line but took the ball too wide of Smith and hit the side netting.

United continued to have good possession in the half but failed to test Smith as Mollie Haines saw a shot go wide while Woodley’s pass across the face of the goal evaded Williamson and Walsh-Perks.

The second half started in the same view with United dominant and again Woodley had a chance to extend her team’s lead from the restart but failed to take the opportunity before Mansfield Road won a free kick on the edge of United’s penalty area from which Lucie Bowden equalised with the kick on fifty minutes.

This goal transformed the game with the University side invigorated while United were deflated after being the dominant side. From this moment United were on the back foot with Kate Hardie heading off her own goal line before Mellissa Stickland gave her team the lead on sixty five minutes with a deflected shot.

With United struggling to cope with Mansfield’s greater urgency and not able to retain the ball they struggled to create any worthwhile pressure of their own the match was sealed by the visitors with two minutes remaining when poor defending allowed Cecile Deer to complete the scoring although it could have been worse with Rachel Mariam hitting Lisa Phillips’ upright in the final minute.