The race for the BWSL2 Golden Boot
As the BWSL2 season nears a dramatic climax, there are six players all tied on eight goals at the top of the goalscoring charts. With just two fixtures remaining, and the race for promotion heating up, these are the players looking to write their names into history…
Beth Hepple, Durham
Goals: 8 Assists: 2 Games Played: 20 Minutes Played: 1800
Durham record-breaker Hepple is adding another excellent season to her collection, the midfielder – and heartbeat of the side – furthering her status as the club's all-time top goal scorer with a number of clutch moments.
Her first of the season was a special one; a penalty against Charlton Athletic that etched her name into Durham’s history books as the first player at the club to reach 100 goals. Although her penalty didn’t help combat a loss that day, it’s certainly a goal Hepple will remember.
Her goalscoring capabilities had been evident before the campaign had even started, with a pre-season screamer against BWSL side Liverpool setting the tone. Hepple drove forward from midfield, picking up a loose ball, and unleashing a strike from 20 yards straight into the top corner.
She’s since been a constant scorer all season, with her most recent effort at the weekend, against Bristol City, not only helping her side gain a vital point in the game’s dying embers, but also catapulting her to joint top of the charts.
Rio Hardy, Bristol City
Goals: 8 Assists: 1 Games Played: 19 Minutes Played: 1432
A key force in Bristol City’s rotation this campaign, Hardy is the Robins’ current joint top goalscorer alongside Lexi Lloyd-Smith with eight goals in 18 appearances.
Her first of the campaign came thanks to a perfectly executed assist from team-mate Emily Syme, and it contributed to the Robins’ 2-0 victory against Portsmouth, their first win of the 2025-26 season.
Another standout moment followed when the 29 year old scored both goals in a second-half comeback against Newcastle, a double that prevented the Magpies from stealing all three points, and both coming in a devastating 15-minute spell after the break.
Hardy’s reliability in opposition areas has prompted her head coach Charlotte Healy to state that she’s a “very exciting signing”, and Hardy’s range of goals – and solitary assist – would certainly suggest she’s been a positive addition to the West Country outfit.
Lexi Lloyd-Smith, Bristol City
Goals: 8 Assists: 0 Games Played: 19 Minutes Played: 1320
The 23 year old has shown a real flair for pace and long-range shots while scoring her eight goals so far this season.
Praised for her versatility – and able to play on either win or in a central role – Lloyd-Smith kicked off the BWSL 2 campaign with a bang, scoring alongside Bristol’s other top goal scorer, Rio Hardy in their first victory of the season, against Portsmouth at the Robin’s High-Performance Centre.
Lloyd-Smith was then named an ‘absolute rocket’ from the fans and media alike after a showstopping performance when facing Sheffield United. Her direct nature made her a constant menace throughout the game, but her goal – City’s second – was an outrageous long-range effort into the top corner, a goal still talked about four months on.
Her most recent strike wasn’t hit as cleanly, but showed her propensity of being in the right place at the right time. It also proved to be important as City doubled their advantage against then league leaders Charlton Athletic in late March, a game they went on to win. Bristol head coach Charlotte Healy admitted to being “proud” of her team, and her strike force. It’s not hard to see why…
Abbie Larkin, Crystal Palace
Goals: 8 Assists: 0 Games Played: 19 Minutes Played: 1410
A standout player for Crystal Palace, Larkin has made 17 appearances for the Eagles and registered eight goals in an impressive 2025-26 showing.
Larkin meant business from the start of the campaign, netting in the Eagles’ second game, an action-packed 4-4 draw against Southampton. This not only ensured a point for Palace, but also marked Larkin’s first goal for the South London side.
Her latest goal is the stuff of legend, principally because it came at the expense of rivals Charlton, the winner in a 3-2 victory at Selhurst Park. The 20 year old has developed a habit for memorable match-winning strikes, for she scored another winner in another 3-2 win, this time against Bristol City. Even Robins manager Charlotte Healy couldn’t deny the quality of Larkin’s strike, stating that her keeper Fran “Bentley was unable to do anything about it.”
Amy Andrews, Sheffield United
Goals: 8 Assists: 0 Games Played: 19 Minutes Played: 1704
Since joining Sheffield United from Durham last summer, the 26-year-old striker has become something of a force up front.
Andrews is consistently praised for her composure in high-pressure situations, and her latest goal was a calmly taken penalty in Sheffield’s 1-1 draw with Sunderland. Same opposition, different day, saw Andrews register one of her more memorable goals of the campaign, a late first-half winner. After capitalising on a loose back pass from Sunderland’s defence, Andrews was quick to snaffle the ball and slot it past Sunderland’s keeper, Demi Lambourne, to score the only goal of the game.
Sheffield United’s head coach has praised Andrews for her “unique blend of pace and power”, a combination that few defences have been able to stop this season. Any more goals, and 2025-26 will be Andrews most profitable since coming to England.
Lily Crosthwaite, Birmingham City
Goals: 8 Assists: 6 Games Played: 19 Minutes Played: 1498
A vital force for top-of-the-table Birmingham City this season, 23-year-old Crosthwaite joined the race for the top goalscorer last Wednesday with a 93rd-minute winner in a 1-0 win against Sunderland. Her goal earned City three vital points that saw them overtake Charlton in top spot in the race for automatic promotion.
Crosthwaite’s best goals normally come in the final seconds. Her first goal for the Blues was another stoppage-time winner, Crosthwaite coming on as a sub just minutes after Joy Ralph’s equaliser. She positioned herself in the centre of the box and was able to convert into the bottom left corner.
Her most recent goal, the aforementioned injury-time screamer against Sunderland, was described by Birmingham head coach Amy Merricks as the ‘perfect goal’, Merricks praising the youngster’s progress since joining from Durham in the summer.
Word credit: Taylor Simpson-Ward