Sunderland Women 1-0 Southampton FC Women
Sunderland Women ran out 1-0 winners to claim an important three points against promotion-chasing rivals Southampton FC Women at Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground in the Barclays Women’s Championship.
After a nervy opening 45, Mary McAteer’s arrowed strike from the edge of the box was enough to claim a vital win and keep the Lasses on track in their fight for a Super League return.
Katie Kitching was one of two changes to Mel Reay’s starting XI following her return from international duty as Ellen Jones dropped to the bench. Megan Beer also came in to replace the suspended Jessica Brown.
The visitors created the game’s first clear-cut opportunity inside the opening exchanges, but Molly Pike fired wide of Claudia Moan’s far post from inside the Sunderland danger area.
Southampton came close again halfway through the first half when Pike combined well with Ella Morris, but the advancing defender was unable to fully compose herself as her effort rolled wide of Moan’s post.
Mollie Rouse was inches away from putting the Lasses ahead as half time approached after a neat one-two between Kitching and Emily Scarr teed up the midfielder from 12 yards, but Lucia Kendall’s last-ditch tackle denied what looked like a certain goal.
After the break, Sunderland came out firing and deservedly got their reward on 49 minutes when McAteer controlled Kitching’s pass before riffling her shot into Kayla Rendell’s top corner.
Defender Amy Goddard almost added a second after getting the better of her opponent to meet Natasha Fenton’s corner, but Rendell was alert to push her header away from goal.
Moan was on hand to tip Pike’s in-swinging corner over her crossbar after evading several bodies inside the host’s six-yard box - the resulting corner being expertly collected by the Lasses shot-stopper to ease the pressure.
The Lasses number one was kept busy and again produced a brilliant point-blank save to deny Pike from close range as the match entered its final 10 minutes.
The visitors continued to apply pressure in search of an equaliser inside the dying embers of the match but Reay’s team held firm to claim victory and remain top of the Barclay’s Women’s Championship.
The Lasses are back on the road in league action in two weeks when they face London City Lionesses at Princes Park.
SAFC XI: Moan, Beer, Goddard, Westrup ©, Ede, Kitching (Watson 86’), Rouse, Dear, Fenton, McAteer (Ejupi 70’), Scarr.
Subs not used: Borthwick, McCatty, McInnes, Jones, Cassap, Corbyn, West.