Saints do the league double over Sunderland Women with late goal
Katie Wilkinson’s late strike gave Southampton back-toback wins in the Barclays Women’s Championship with a 1-0 victory at Sunderland Women.
The 28-year-old’s effort 11 minutes from time ensured the away side returned to Hampshire with the three points, and put pressure on the top two.
After 13 matches played, just four points separates the SaintsfromleagueleadersLondon City Lionesses, while Sunderland stay tenth.
The hosts had a glorious chance inside ten minutes when Liz Ejupi won the ball and fed Emily Scarr, but the 23-year-old blazed over with just the keeper to beat.
Southampton came forward shortly after, and only Megan Beer’s last-ditch clearance from a right-wing cross prevented a tap in at the far post.
Lucia Kendall tried her luckfromrangeon35minutes, fizzing the ball over the hosts’ crossbar,beforeKaylaRendell made a point-blank save in stoppage time after a scramble in the Saints’ box.
In the first chance of the second half, Sunderland’s Abbey Joice fired wide from 20 yards on the hour mark.
Thevisitorsprovedathreat onthecounter,butwerestrugglingtoapplythefinishtotheir well-constructed moves.
Substitute Wilkinson saw a shot brilliantly blocked by Grace McCatty on 74 minutes, but made no mistake second
time around, pouncing on a mistake in the area five minutes later to fire past Claudia Moan.
Thestrikeralmostgrabbed a second with a dipping shot, but the woodwork denied her a brace.
The Saints closed out the game to secure the league double over the Lasses after a pair of1-0wins,whilethehomeside
sufferedback-to-backlossesin the Championship.
Sunderland defender Brianna Westrup said after the defeat: “Disappointing, I think it was a really physical game. I think the ref let a lot play.
"Usually that plays into our hands as we’re quite a physical team.
"Ithinkitjustcamedownto the end and you know, unfortunately not clearing the ball.
"It drops to their striker and she puts it in the back of the net. We couldn’t do it at the other end.
“It’s definitely something we can work on, trying to spoil the transition that came from an attacking corner kick.
"It’snevergoodwhenyou’re attheirendofthepitchandyou go all the way back.
"It’s not just one person, we can look at multiple times as they moved the ball down the pitch where we can either stop the play, commit a professional foul, get behind the ball and reset.
"It’saboutwatchingthefilm backsowecanbesmarterwith our decision-making.
“[Southampton] have been on a good run this season, so hats off to them.
"They’ve clearly been getting some good victories.
"But if you look at our results across the season so far, barring two or three games, they’vebeen1-0s,or2-1swhich almosthurtsusmorecausewe feel so in the game.
"We just need to start scoring the goals and keeping the clean sheets.”