A great result for our girls yesterday, achieved in dreadful weather conditions. Our ladies dominated throughout with the Lionesses' goalkeeper being tested as early as the second minute by Amy Russ.
The keeper was forced into action again 6 minutes later saving another decent effort on target from Abbey Davies.
In the 15th minute Russ put the Darts ahead with a fine chip over the keeper from the edge of the box.
4 mins later Millwall had their best effort of the game, hitting the crossbar with a free kick from 35 yards.
In the 23rd minute the lead was increased when the keeper spilled the ball from a well taken shot by Brionne Fowle.
Shauni Griffiths was alert to the situation and fired home making it 2-0.
Less than 10 minutes later Xayla-Rae Alberts, through lightening speed, drew a crunching tackle which could be heard from the stands. Fortunately Xayla was ok and the resulting free kick saw Shauni score with a belter from distance.
In the second half as the rain became heavier Shauni completed her hat-trick. For me this was the goal of the game purely for it's accuracy. Faced with a crowded penalty area from the edge of the box, Shauni was about to pull the trigger. She then rolled the ball with the deftest of touches to the right, after spotting the gap, and like a true marksman fired through the hole in the opposition's fence. Definitely a snipers goal of perfection. That fatal shot was executed in the 64th minute. At 4-0 it was almost certainly game over.
So the last person Millwall wanted to see coming off the bench was last season's golden boot winner Emily Vaughan entering the battlefield after 72 minutes. It didn't take long for Vaughany to make her presence felt with a goal from a powerful strike from a corner a few minutes later, following on from a great effort by Lizzie Adams forcing a good save from the keeper two minutes earlier.
This fixture is always a feisty affair and a player saw red with 5 minutes of normal time remaining. This time it was one of theirs receiving her marching orders. After an altercation involving Emily Woodhouse it looked like Ciara Watling who was sent for an early shower, but I'm not 100% certain. The linesman spotted an infringement which the referee, under the watchful eye of the assessor, didn't appear to see. Emily was unfairly booked for remonstrating with the man with the whistle, but had she not done so he wouldn't have consulted the lino, and the offending player would have remained on the pitch. As far as I'm concerned Emily took one for the team there.
Special mention too for Paris Smith. She's doing a fine job standing in for keeper Jade Charlton who's recovering from a hand injury.
Player of the match goes without saying. Shauni's having a blinding season.
She's also part of a dynamic midfield with the physical speed, skills and mental acuteness of Xayla and Brionne who seem to get even sharper with every game.
The keeper was forced into action again 6 minutes later saving another decent effort on target from Abbey Davies.
In the 15th minute Russ put the Darts ahead with a fine chip over the keeper from the edge of the box.
4 mins later Millwall had their best effort of the game, hitting the crossbar with a free kick from 35 yards.
In the 23rd minute the lead was increased when the keeper spilled the ball from a well taken shot by Brionne Fowle.
Shauni Griffiths was alert to the situation and fired home making it 2-0.
Less than 10 minutes later Xayla-Rae Alberts, through lightening speed, drew a crunching tackle which could be heard from the stands. Fortunately Xayla was ok and the resulting free kick saw Shauni score with a belter from distance.
In the second half as the rain became heavier Shauni completed her hat-trick. For me this was the goal of the game purely for it's accuracy. Faced with a crowded penalty area from the edge of the box, Shauni was about to pull the trigger. She then rolled the ball with the deftest of touches to the right, after spotting the gap, and like a true marksman fired through the hole in the opposition's fence. Definitely a snipers goal of perfection. That fatal shot was executed in the 64th minute. At 4-0 it was almost certainly game over.
So the last person Millwall wanted to see coming off the bench was last season's golden boot winner Emily Vaughan entering the battlefield after 72 minutes. It didn't take long for Vaughany to make her presence felt with a goal from a powerful strike from a corner a few minutes later, following on from a great effort by Lizzie Adams forcing a good save from the keeper two minutes earlier.
This fixture is always a feisty affair and a player saw red with 5 minutes of normal time remaining. This time it was one of theirs receiving her marching orders. After an altercation involving Emily Woodhouse it looked like Ciara Watling who was sent for an early shower, but I'm not 100% certain. The linesman spotted an infringement which the referee, under the watchful eye of the assessor, didn't appear to see. Emily was unfairly booked for remonstrating with the man with the whistle, but had she not done so he wouldn't have consulted the lino, and the offending player would have remained on the pitch. As far as I'm concerned Emily took one for the team there.
Special mention too for Paris Smith. She's doing a fine job standing in for keeper Jade Charlton who's recovering from a hand injury.
Player of the match goes without saying. Shauni's having a blinding season.
She's also part of a dynamic midfield with the physical speed, skills and mental acuteness of Xayla and Brionne who seem to get even sharper with every game.
Statistics: Posted by Ajaxman DFC — Mon Jan 27, 2025 9:58 am