A much improved performance

Woodley United Ladies gave a much improved performance after last week’s loss and could consider themselves unlucky to go into half time a goal down scored in the eighth minute of stoppage time due to an earlier injury to an Oxford player.

The first half was a cagey affair with few chances that had the midfield to the fore and the goalkeepers rarely troubled. Woodley’s best chance fell to Rosie Page-Smith in the twenty eight minute when she broke free of the defence only to shoot from the edge of the penalty area straight to Oxford keeper Maisie Hastings while the hosts fell foul of a well marshalled United defence that caught players offside.

The deadlock was broken a minute before half time when Oxford’s Danielle Anderson held the ball up before laying it back to the edge of the penalty area to a team member to fire past Nicole Haines.

United started the second half in positive fashion in their opponents’ half but had Haines to thank for keeping the score line one – nil following a counter attack. However, the keeper could do little eight minutes into the half when a clearance was intercepted by Anderson who in turn passed the ball for a forward to fire home.

The hosts completed their scoring in the sixty first minute when cross from the left was poorly cleared allowing another long range shot pass Haines.

United continued to with Hastings parrying a Page – Smith shot and Becs Lowes saw an effort blocked and it was these two who were involved in Woodley’s goal in the eighty eighth minute when Lowes pass split the home defence and found Page – Smith to slot pass Hastings.

Haines, Hunt, Wilkins, Thompson, Ward, Surtees, Harris-Steers (Preston-Morris), Sawyer, Page-Smith, Pearson, Lowes