Matchweek 4 of the BWSL2 was unsurprisingly full of excitement, and plenty of great goals. Newcastle United retained their winning streak and position at the top of the table on the weekend with a ruthless 4-0 win over Leicester City, while Sheffield United dragged themselves up from the bottom, and Durham fell into their place.
The standout players who have made it into the BWSL2 Team of the Week this week made more than their fair share of important contributions for their team, as their performances on the weekend marked them as some of the very best.
Fran Bentley – Bristol City:
In a 0-0 stalemate against Burnley, Bristol City keeper Fran Bentley manged to save all four of the opposition’s shots on target in order to walk away with a clean sheet and a point for the Robins. Despite Burnley having less shots overall, 10 compared with Bristol’s 20, they had more on target, keeping Bentley busy as she worked to keep her team from conceding.
Despite a distribution error in the second minute of the game, Bentley redeemed herself by making an excellent save to stop Maria Farrugia’s shot from outside of the box, before going on to make a further three saves throughout the game.
Charlotte Wardlaw – Newcastle United:
In Newcastle United’s fourth successive win of the season, Charlotte Wardlaw opened the account for her team in the 12th minute, her first goal for the Magpies. Assisted by Kathleen McGovern, Wardlaw wasted no time in capitalising on a deflection from Leicester’s defence to strike into the goal with a shot that first hit the post, before landing in the back of the net.
The defender had a further shot later in the game and also created two chances, as well as making nine defensive contributions, ensuring that her team not only broke through Leicester’s defence, but also that the Foxes were never able to break through theirs.
Aoife Mannion – Newcastle United:
Wardlaw was not the only Newcastle defender to get her name on the scoresheet, with centre-back Aoife Mannion securing a fourth goal for her team in added time to make the Magpies’ win even more decisive. Mannion got the ball in with a superb overhead kick after Jordan Nobbs’ corner, following Leicester keeper Keane’s deflection of the ball onto the crossbar, where it bounced into the air above Mannion’s feet.
Mannion had also had a shot on target in the 80th minute, that was saved by Keane, before she managed to break through 15 minutes later.
Deanna Cooper – Burnley:
Cooper made 14 defensive contributions in total for the Clarets, including 10 clearances, one successful tackle, and vitally blocking three of Bristol City’s shots. Solid and impenetrable in the backline, the centre back ensured that Burnley kept the clean sheet despite Bristol City dominating the game and having a much more aggressive attack. Her obstruction of the Robins’ progression up the pitch gave newly promoted Burnley a hard-earned point.
Maria Boswell – Ipswich Town:
In Ipswich’s 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, defender Maria Boswell gave them their third goal in spectacular fashion. After the ball fell to her outside of the box, Boswell made a powerful shot that landed high into the centre of the goal, an unsavable and impressive attempt that gave Ipswich a two-goal lead that they managed to successfully maintain until the end, after having initially fallen behind Wolves in the 18th minute.
Dee Bradley – Durham:
Despite Durham losing 4-1 to Sheffield United, Dee Bradley put in an incredible shift in the midfield, making 13 defensive contributions to ensure that Durham did not fall any further behind. Bradley made three important blocks, as well as five clearances, an interception, and four tackles. This included a clearance right off the line, helping Durham’s backline from conceding more goals as the shape of the defence seemed to fall apart, but Bradley never stopped making vital defensive contributions for her team.
Lucy Quinn – Sheffield United:
Lucy Quinn made her mark with a goal and an assist for Sheffield as they broke down Durham at Bramall Lane. Her assist came in the 12th minute of the game, with a perfect cross over from the right wing that met Amy Andrews’ head to give Sheffield the lead. Quinn dribbled round the defender easily to produce a fantastic ball into the box, that was sure to result in a goal.
Quinn then nullified Durham’s equaliser, as Charlie Devlin’s cross eventually fell to her feet, shooting it straight into the net from close range with absolutely no hesitation.
Martha Thomas – Newcastle United:
Martha Thomas makes her second successive appearance in the BWSL2 Team of the Week after scoring a brace within two minutes on Sunday. She timed a run to complete a flawless header in the 67th minute, assisted by a great cross from Jordan Nobbs, before pouncing on an excellent through ball by Beth Lumsden to get her second in the 69th minute. Her second shot landed cleanly in the bottom left of the goal to secure her brace, as well as a third goal for Newcastle.
Thomas has now become the top scorer in the BWSL2 so far this season, with no one else yet equalling her account of four goals in four games.
Vera Jones – Watford:
Despite Watford losing 1-2 at home to Sunderland. Vera Jones managed to claw one back for her team with a fantastic direct free kick straight into the goal in the 74th minute. She made an excellent shot into the top right corner of the goal after team-mate Karin Muya won a free kick in the attacking half, after an initial appeal for a penalty. Jones was tasked with getting the ball into the goal from just outside of the penalty area, and she certainly made the opportunity count by halving Watford’s deficit.
Princess Ademiluyi – Ipswich Town:
Ademiluyi equalised for Ipswich in the 27th minute after they initially fell behind to Wolves as she did so with an incredible shot from outside of the box. The striker launched the ball from range into the top right corner of the goal, with such power and accuracy that it was certainly destined to end up in the back of the net. Ademiluyi had four shots in total during the game, with three of those being on target, causing consistent worry for Ipswich and helping her team to go on and get an important three points.
Amy Andrews – Sheffield United:
Sheffield United forward Amy Andrews became the second player to score a hat-trick so far in the BWSL2 season, after Bristol’s Rio Hardy completed the same feat last week. Andrews scored her first goal in the 12th minute, after her header and link up with Lucy Quinn opened the game’s account. Andrews then successfully converted the penalty awarded to Sheffield, drawn by Tilly Bristow, before completing her hat-trick in the 69th minute. Sheffield’s keeper Rogers assisted Andrews with an impeccable long ball, where she earnt her third goal and a hat-trick that seemed inevitable after a stellar performance.
