A closely-fought game between Oxford United and London Bees on Sunday resulted in the U’s taking all three points to extend their unbeaten run to three matches.
In contrast, the Bees have now lost their last four games, conceding fifteen goals in the process, and remain the only WSL 2 team yet to register a win.
The kick-off was put-back by half an hour after problems on the motorway delayed the arrival of the visitors from London, but once the game did get underway the Bees quickly found themselves with chances to take the lead. Both Amber Gaylor and Gemma Fraser forced Oxford keeper Demi Lambourne into early saves.
However on the quarter of an hour mark, it was the hosts who went in front through Kayleigh Hines.
The midfielder was brought down as she advanced towards goal and converted the resulting set-piece with expert precision, dipping it over the wall and in to the bottom corner of the net.
Little more than five minutes later United doubled their advantage thanks to an unfortunate own-goal from Bee’s keeper Sophie Harris who spilled Katie Stanley’s cross from the right into her own net.
As half-time beckoned the visitors thought they had pulled one back as Lambourne fumbled an aerial ball which fell kindly to Bee’s striker Lucy Loomes.
Loomes made no mistake from close range and poked the ball home, only for her celebrations to be cut short as the linesman raised his flag.
Minutes before the break Oxford found themselves close to putting the game to bed, when Stanley played in last week’s goal hero Kat Nutman, who found herself one-on-one with the Bees’ keeper.
But Harris made up for her earlier mistake, saving well at the feet of Nutman, before Lauren Allison fired the re-bound over the bar.
Harris –who had only just returned from a spell on the sidelines – was injured once more whilst making the save, forcing Julian Broomes’ to replace her at half-time with substitute goalkeeper Imogen Riches.
Within the first ten minutes of the re-start the hosts found themselves with further chances to go 3-0 up, with Rebecca Anderson, Holly Pickett and Allison all going close. But on 58 minutes it looked like they might be made to pay for their missed opportunities, as Bee’s pulled a goal back when Fraser scored her first goal for the club following a tap-in at the far post.
The visitors pressed hard for an equaliser, and on 75 minutes a long-range effort from Paige Wakefield forced a flying save from Lambourne as it headed towards the top corner. Moments later Ashleigh Goddard’s fiercely struck effort looked certain to win her side a point with the keeper beaten, only to be denied by the frame of the goal.
A nervy final ten minutes followed for the hosts, but they held on for all three points and a consecutive home win.
Oxford now sit 5th in the WSL 2 table, with London Bees remaining rooted to the bottom.
