Lightning denied point by stoppage time strike
WPL NORTHERN DIVISION LOUGHBOROUGH LIGHTNING 1 MIDDLESBROUGH WOMEN FC 2
IT WAS a smash and grab for Middlesbrough Women FC, who scored in the 92nd minute through Armani Maxwell to beat Loughborough Lightning at the Loughborough University Stadium.
Despite being the better team for the majority of the game and for most of the second half, Lightning will be left wondering how they lost a game they deserved to win.
In a game where both sides were hoping to better their previous results, Middlesbrough thought they were in for an early goal.
Rebecca Olley ran onto a pass played over the Lightning defence and shot at goal but Lightning goalkeeper Holly Mayfield made two excellent close range saves to deny her.
Lightning then went close themselves, after great closing down from Ella Powell led to a corner for the home side. An excellent ball in from Laura Steele was met in the air by
Em Sharpe, but her header went narrowly wide of the Boro goal.
The home side then went even closer, when Abbie Bensted sent a through ball down the line to the dangerous Powell. She looked up and chipped a first time shot towards goal, which looked like it had beaten Rosie Todd in the Boro goal, only for her to reach out an arm and tip it onto the bar. Rogers thought she had scored the rebound but Todd was there again to deny Lightning.
Olley, who was a threat all game for Middlesbrough, went close from 25-yards out from a Boro free-kick. Her powerful strike was close to the top corner but fizzed just off target.
It was a very even affair for the entirety of the first half, with Lightning pressing well and forcing regular turnovers in possession and Boro utilising the ball over the top to good effect.
It was more of the same just after the break, as Lightning were pressing high effectively with Boro looking to counter, using the space in behind.
Middlesbrough went ahead in the 52nd minute, in exactly that fashion. A long ball over the top allowed Boro captain Olley to race past the Lightning defence and lift the ball over the onrushing Mayfield.
The visitors went close again just a few minutes later from a corner. A Boro header was cleared off the line by Lightning captain Chloe Young before the rebound was put agonisingly wide of the near post.
Lightning were back on level terms though in the 57th minute. Substitute Beth Burgess, who was excellent when she came on, was played in down the left-hand side and she put a teasing first-time ball into the box. The ball was going to a Lightning attacker for a free shot but Boro defender Abby Towers diverted the ball past her own goalkeeper to make the score 1-1.
It was the home side who were pushing for a second and they almost got it in the 68th minute. Laura Steele played a good ball into the back post, from a deep freekick, and found the head of Young. Her header was low and powerful but Todd got down well to tip the ball around the post.
They came even closer to going ahead in the 74th minute after great control from Emelia Wilson. Her knock down found substitute Nicki Russell whose first-time halfvolley looked like it was in until Todd reached out an arm and somehow clawed the ball out of danger.
Two more chances came Lightning’s way as they began to wonder how they weren’t ahead in a dominant second half display. Firstly, Sharpe’s header from a Steele corner grazed the top of the bar before Nat Taylor’s excellent first-time left-footed shot was tipped round the post by the colossal Todd.
But two minutes into added time, and completely against the run of play, Middlesbrough got the winner. A ball across the box found its way to Armani Maxwell who unleashed a powerful leftfooted shot into the top corner, giving Mayfield no chance.
It was a gutting one for the Lightning players, who deserved all three points, but the game finished 2-1 to the visitors, and the hosts were left to rue their missed chances.