Torquay United’s women continued their fine stat to the season on Sunday, as they ran out winners at Keynsham.
United made three changes to the team that started against MAP, with Ella-Mae Miller and Beth Ireland recovering from knocks that kept them out of the squad against MAP, and new signing Katie Dickson starting in midfield to make her debut in yellow.
The opening stages of the game where an untidy affair with United trying to break down their hosts. The first chance came in the 6th minute when Beth Everson was in on goal, her shot was half saved by the keeper but it only took the sting out of the shot that continued to roll towards the goal only for it to be cleared off the line ion the last second by a Keynsham player. This would set the tone for the next period in play with Hannah Bishop in the United goal only really being called upon once in the opening 10 minutes and that was easily dealt with by the yellow shot stopper.
United would have the majority of the possession in the opening 20 minutes of the game but with very little to show for it, the hosts as expected more than happy to sit back and catch United on the counter attack. Sarah Stacey would have a chance on goal in the 18th minute with the home keeper being forced into a smart save from the united strikers low shot, winning united first corner of the afternoon. Keynsham would struggle to deal with the corner and United captain Mollie Taylor would fire a shot from the edge of the box but it was just wide of the upright.
Hannah Bishop would be called upon in the 25th minute with the United keeper needing to make a smart save to stop the hosts taking the lead when they caught united on the break and where deemed to be onside. The breakthrough would come in the 32nd minute, United would carve the home defence open with a smart one two and a low cross was played into the box, Sarah Stacey didn’t need asking twice as she turned the ball into the empty net from close range.
United would go into the break with the lead and the start of the second half started as the first had ended with United applying pressure to their hosts as they went about trying to double their lead. The hosts would have a chance on goal forcing Hannah Bishop into a save just as a reminder that they would still pose a threat and were still very much in the game. This was the warning that United needed, a shot into the box was deflected into the path of Sarah Stacey, whose shot was deemed to have come off of a Keynsham player and like all good strikers Sarah Stacey shot first and asked questions later, the flag for offside would never come and Stacey would bag her second goal of the game.
Mollie Taylor would then find her self in the refs book for a late challenge the United captain would be substituted a few minutes later with Imy Crawford coming on to make her united debut. United would take a commanding lead on the 67th minute with Brooke Ellis volleying the ball towards goal and the home keeper failed to deal with it and her effort nestled in the back of the net to give United a three-goal lead.
Keynsham would have another effort on goal but their effort would go just wide of the united upright as the hosts would pose a threat to the United goal all afternoon and making United work for their clean sheet. The United back line would be broke in the 88th minute when the home side bagged a late goal to make the game 3-1, the home side would then throw players forward in the last couple of minutes in the hope of pulling of a unlikely come back. In the end it was just a consolation goal for the hosts as united would run out comfortable winners and take their unbeaten run to 4 games in all competitions.
