Oxford United Women earned an excellent late victory as they beat Ipswich Town Women 2-1 at Court Place Form.
It was a fast start to the game with both sides creating good chances, both keepers making fine saves and a great advert for this level of football within the opening ten minutes.
Lacy Liggett, starting in the ten, pinched the ball high and forced an early corner. Lenna Gunning-Williams saw her effort excellently saved by Paris Sercombe down at her right, whilst Sarah King’s curled effort and Jaime Gotch’s header were both denied by Laura Hartley in the Ipswich goal.
It then settled down a bit as both sides realised they were going to be in an intense clash in what could’ve been a summer’s day at Court Place Farm.
That was until the 15th minutes when Wiseman opened her account for the U’s with a goal of the season contender. Shelly Provan found the midfielder on the edge and picked out the toppest of top corners to fire Oxford superbly into the lead.
There was some excellent football on display from the U’s. Skipper Leah Burridge won the ball through sheer determination and found King on the left, who played a disguised pass into Barratt. Her strike was flashed across goal but the move personified a new found confidence in the Yellow shirts.
It was the best 45 minutes of the U’s season so far; King and Taome Oliver, who made her 50th appearance for the U’s this afternoon, were superb at supporting their full backs and creating chances with their pace and width.
Barratt burst through in the 43rd and looked as if she was tripped but the ref waved the appeals away and the U’s went into the break a goal to the good.
Ipswich came out strong after the restart and Sercombe made two excellent saves to deny the Tractor Girls a quick way back into the game, first clawing the ball off the line from a deep corner and the second a smart catch at the near post.
Liggett was superb in her new role popping up all over the pitch to offer options and win the ball back at important moments. She was replaced by Jenna Legg in the 62nd minute after receiving a yellow card.
United absorbed the pressure really well against an Ipswich side full of threat – before today they’d scored 25 goals in six league games. It does have to be said that Sercombe’s goal did live a charmed life though as the league’s top scorer Natahsa Thomas narrowly missed a handful of chances.
That was until with fifteen minutes to play Gotch tripped Lucy O’Brien in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. The Ipswich skipper Bonnie Horwood stepped up and rolled the ball into the bottom left corner to level the game.
The reaction to conceding was spot on and United had chances to win the game; Gotch headed a corner over, Legg’s strike was dealt with well by Hartley and Wiseman bent a free kick just wide.
Then, at the death, King found Barratt down the left who showed stunning composure to drive inside the box and slot the ball in the bottom corner against her old club to win the game.
A complete team performance against a good Ipswich side. Three points, three home wins in a row and a huge confidence boost for this exciting young side. See you on Thursday night away at Cheltenham.
LINEUP: Sercombe, Provan, Gotch, Wellesley-Smith, Sherwood, Wiseman, Burridge, Liggett (Legg 62’), King, Barratt, Oliver
Report by Billy Lawrence, Pictures by Darrell Fisher
Attendance: 323