United 5
(Thomas 11′, Geach 14′, Kaptein 41′, Pengelly 64′)
AEK Boco 1
(Atkinson 29′)
United’s women strengthened their promotion credentials at Coach Road on Saturday, as they secured victory over title rivals AEK Boco.
Ryan Perks’ side – who included returning signing Connie Pengelly in attack – made a superb start, which put second-placed Boco on the back foot from the off.
Roxy Thomas got the scoring underway in the 11th minute, although there was an element of good fortune attached to it.
Her looping cross from the left may well have asked questions if the conditions hadn’t intervened, but with the wind taking the ball up over the visiting goalkeeper, it looped up and into the net to make it 1-0.
Three minutes later and the leas was doubled.
Thomas turned from finisher to provider this time, as her left-wing cross was met by the head of Jess Geach inside a packed penalty area, with the defender duly sending the ball into the net.
Boco aren’t leaders Sherborne’s nearest challengers without reason though, and the match was back in the balance just before the half-hour mark, as leading scorer Atkinson beat Mollie Taylor before firing home to reduce the arrears.
Faced with a renewed challenge, Perks’ side soon re-established their dominance on proceedings.
Just before the break, Beth Everson’s cross was eventually stabbed home by Tee Kaptein via a kind rebound to restore the two-goal margin before the change of ends, before United celebrated more joy in the second period.
With both sides knowing how important the next goal would be, it was debutant Pengelly who answered the call.
The AEK keeper initially did well to deal with a testing ball into the penalty area, but with the ball then squirming out of her grasp, it fell straight into the path of Pengelly, who gleefully bundled the ball home from barely a yard out.
Substitute Lily Hilton’s late effort from a corner in the seventh minute of stoppage time – again from close range – only further emphasised United’s superiority.
This victory, and the style in which it was earned, will certainly serve as a statement of Torquay’s intent going into the 2026 run-in, with a trip to Saltash next weekend the next challenge facing The Gulls.
UNITED: 13. Ellie Mitchell, 2. Lucy Palmer (c), 3. Roxy Thomas, 6. Matilda Franchi, 8. Katelyn Bell, 9. Beth Everson, 10. Connie Pengelly, 15. Georgie Knott, 16. Jess Geach, 20. Tee Kaptein, 29. Mollie Taylor.
SUBS NOT USED: 1. Esme Bradley (GK), 4. Lily Hilton, 12. Isabel Hiller-Nickels, 14. Jasmine Barker, 26. Ella Pawley.
