United’s women continued their build-up towards the 2026/27 campaign at Exeter City yesterday, and although the hosts ran out winners, it was another promising showing from Ryan Perks’ side.
The game had a frantic opening five minutes, with both teams throwing players forward in an attempt to take the lead. Torquay won a string of corners, but the home side dealt with the threat well. The Gulls backline once again stood firm as their opponents from a higher league failed to create any clear chances in the opening stages.
The home side began to impose themselves on the game as the half wore on, but as we have seen in the opening two games, United were more than capable of defending when called upon. Mitchell produced a smart save in a one-on-one situation to keep United level on the 20-minute mark.
The game took another frantic turn when City took the lead following a huge scramble in the box, eventually poking the ball home from close range. Five minutes later, Sarah Stacey unleashed a shot from just outside the Exeter penalty area, forcing the home goalkeeper into a fine save and pushing the ball behind for a corner.
The resulting corner was looped into the box, where Mollie Taylor crashed the ball home from close range to level the scores against her former club.
The goal was no more than United deserved in a first half in which they more than held their own, with the remainder of the first half following a similar pattern, with neither side able to create any clear-cut opportunities before the break.
The second half told a different story as the hosts regained the lead early on before extending their advantage through a deflected effort that found its way into the United net. Torquay continued to pose a threat, but the damage had already been done.
Despite the result, the performance will give manager Perks and his squad plenty of confidence that they can compete with opposition from a higher league, something they have demonstrated time and again throughout this pre-season campaign.
Report by Martyn Norman
Photo Credit: Exeter City FC
