11-goal Bluebirds progress to FAW Women’s Cup Round Two…
Cardiff City FC Women concluded their fifth away trip of the 2018/19 campaign, with a comfortable 11-1 victory over Tredegar Girls, in Round One of the FAW Women’s Cup at Ebbw Vale Sports Centre.
Five first-half goals set the marker for City to kick-on in the second period and add an additional six. Danielle Green, Hannah Daley and Alana Murphy struck braces, while Monet Legall, Eryn Gibbs, Daisy Connolly, Lisa Owen and Kanisha Underdown also got on the scoresheet.
Joel Hutton made five changes to the team that faced Rhyl Ladies last time out. Lisa Owen, Alice Broadley, Monet Legall, Danielle Broadhurst and Eryn Gibbs entered the starting XI.
The Bluebirds got off to a swift start and broke the deadlock, after three minutes. Green secured her first goal of the current campaign, heading home from close-range and getting City’s scoring underway.
However, the hosts were determined in their play and the great turnout of spectators were backing Tredegar all the way. Then 17 minutes later, the home side levelled the scoring to the delight of the majority in attendance. Lucy Hill went one-on-one with Ceryn Chamberlain and finished into the back of the net.
City responded magnificently, piling pressure on the opposing defence and seemed eager to regain their lead. They were rewarded after 28 minutes, as Lucy McDonough’s delivery arrived at the feet of Legall, who slotted into the empty goal and sealed her first goal of the 2018/19 season.
Three minutes later, the Bluebirds had the ball in the back of the net for a third time. Daley rose to head in at point-blank range and got her scoring for the current campaign underway. Moreover, it took just one minute for City to score a fourth. From the edge of the area, 16-year-old Gibbs beautifully finessed the ball into the bottom right corner and secured her opening strike of the season.
Then in the final action of the first-half, the visitors added a fifth. Daley leapt to duplicate her first goal, with a close-range header that sealed her a brace.
After the interval, it took the Bluebirds ten minutes to score a sixth goal. Green buried an effort into the back of the net, gaining her second goal of the match and current campaign. Furthermore, the magnificent seventh was secured through Connolly, after 58 minutes. The 17-year-old attacked the ball in the air and hammered a header into the roof of the net.
Second-half substitute Alana Murphy made sure to make an impact off the bench and scored City’s eighth, 15 minutes later. From the area’s inside right, the forward superbly struck into the bottom left corner and that would ignite an immediate response from Owen. One minute after, the defender made a dazzling run before finishing from close-range, securing her second goal of the season.
It was clear that the away side wanted to send their scoring into double figures and they were successful in doing so after 78 minutes. Substitute Underdown skilfully skipped through the opposition defence, before passing the ball into the back of the net, to make the score 10-1.
Murphy was unlucky to strike the post two minutes later. However, the 21-year-old made up for it by securing a brace and adding an 11th goal for the Bluebirds, after 82 minutes. She became City’s top scorer for the current campaign to date, with seven goals, by again finding the bottom left corner from a great effort.
That proved to be the final goal of the match and the Bluebirds departed Ebbw Vale Sports Centre with a commanding victory and a place in Round Two of the FAW Women’s Cup. City continued to demonstrate their battling spirit throughout the affair; the same spirit that has assisted in their four wins from five competitive matches to date during their current campaign.
FINAL SCORE: TREDEGAR GIRLS AFC 1-11 CARDIFF CITY FC WOMEN
Cardiff City FC Women: Chamberlain, Owen, Broadley, Daley (Bourne 46’), Connolly, Jones, Legall (Underdown 46’), Broadhurst, McDonough, Gibbs, Green (Murphy 57’). Subs not used: May, C. Walsh.