HIGHLIGHTS: CASCADE YC LADIES 1-2 CARDIFF CITY FC WOMEN
Cardiff City FC Women secured their first victory of the pre-season on Sunday afternoon, defeating Cascade YC Ladies 2-1 in Ystrad Mynach.
City took short-lived lead in the second half, before the hosts equalised from the penalty spot only one minute later. Fortunately, substitute Michaela Major was on hand to net the winner for the Bluebirds; a terrific finish from a difficult angle that flew in at the far post.
Early passages of play suggested an early opener for the visitors. Catherine Walsh was once again instrumental in the middle of the park, with Danielle Broadhurst always in support both in defence and attack.
City would attack using their incisive passes from the midfield and up into the final third, utilising Alana Murphy's pace to chase the through ball and test 'keeper Hollie Lewis, who on multiple occasions was forced to leave her area to beat Murphy to the ball and clear.
Walsh came the closest to scoring in the first half, as her shot from 20 yards flew just wide of the mark after the referee had signalled advantage to the Bluebirds.
A cagey 45 minutes was followed by a second half that certainly had more drama to it. Zoe Atkins was directly involved in the opener, which saw her effort inside the area beat the line of bodies in the way, finding its way over the line.
The lead was quickly over, however, as the hosts equalised with a penalty kick, after a foul inside the area.
City waited until the dying minutes to take the lead once more. Substitute Michaela Major had been brought on for the final 10 minutes of play, and took her sole chance of the game excellently. Running quickly into the box with the ball at her feet, the U19 player shot into the back of the net from a difficult angle, beating the 'keeper well.
FINAL SCORE: CASCADE YC LADIES 1-2 CARDIFF CITY FC WOMEN
Cardiff City FC Women: Chamberlain, Owen, Jones, Daley, Price, Watkins, Broadhurst, Green, C. Walsh, Williams, Murphy. Subs: Mujica, S. Walsh, Norman, Bayliss, Cook, Billingham, Atkins, Major.
"We put in a solid performance, but we know that we can take it up a gear," said head coach Iain Darbyshire following the final whistle. "We got more minutes in the tank, and we move on with more confidence to our next match.
"Michaela had a bit of a taste of playing with our First Team at the end of last season, and has been really good in training, as well as scoring plenty with our U19 side.
"With Phoebie Poole missing today we thought she'd earned a place playing for the senior side, and credit where it's due she came on and got the winning goal. That's something for her to think on now; that she's not just a U19 player, and that she can make the step up.
"We want all of our U19 players to have that mentality. Players like Michaela and Lily Billingham are grasping the opportunities that have been given to them so far, which is very encouraging."