Oxford United Women breezed through to the County Cup final at Court Place Farm this afternoon with a dominant performance against Thame United, winning 15-0.
Oxford were 6-0 up at half time, thanks to goals from Cecily Wellesley-Smith, Lacy-Jai Liggett, Vitallia Budaieva, Hayley Hoare and two from Izzy Cook. In the second half, Liggett, Anais Harris-Beachers, and two each for Hoare, Budaieva and Isobell Kinsella, plus an own goal, ensured that United would progress.
Any thoughts of an upset that Thame might have been harbouring were shattered after just 70 seconds. From a corner, Wellesley-Smith prodded home a loose ball to open the scoring.
Two minutes later it was 2-0 as Cook closed down Lillie Eames, the Thame goalkeeper, whose clearance rebounded off Cook, over the stranded goalie and into the net.
It took until the 17th minute for Oxford to further extend their lead, as Liggett raced onto a through ball and buried her shot past the advancing Eames. Three minutes later, Cook had her second and United’s fourth as she shot home.
Budaieva was next on the scoresheet as she fired home from the edge of the area in the 22nd minute, and five minutes later Hoare’s run ended with a shot that beat Eames at her near post.
The second half was just 15 seconds old when Liggett pounced to make it 7-0. In the 52nd minute Budaieva was on hand to volley home as the U’s continued to rack up the goals. The Ukrainian completed her hat-trick just three minutes later, beating the offside trap for a calm finish.
Kinsella came off the bench to take the scoring into double figures on 73, and it was 11 on 82 as Hoare drove powerfully home for her second of the afternoon. Straight from kick-off, Kinsella took advantage of Budaieva’s run to slip the ball inside the far post for Oxford’s 12th.
The 13th, a minute later, was an own goal as Budaieva’s cross was bundled into the net. Hoare smashed the ball into the roof of the net from a tight angle for her third in the last minute, and there was still time for Harris-Beechers to get her name on the scoresheet before the referee called time.
The U's will have to wait to find out their opponents as in the other semi-final, which took place on the same pitch immediately after, a regional power cut led to the game being abandoned after 60 minutes, with Oxford University leading Oxford City 1-0.
United: Crierie, Hoare, Hayes, Richardson, Flynn, Sherwood, Stephens, Wellesley-Smith, Liggett, Budaieva, Cook
Rotating subs: Howes, Kinsella, Harris-Beechers, Woodhead