It was a weekend of high-stakes football across the Women’s Super League, NWSL, and various cup competitions, with Bermudian coaches and players featuring heavily in drama, upsets, and goal-filled contests.
WSL: Goater’s Villa Claim Valuable Point
At the Emirates Stadium, Shaun Goater, the Assistant Coach for Aston Villa Women, saw his team secure a hard-fought 1-1 draw against title contenders Arsenal. The point was earned through a late equaliser from Lucy Parker, marking the second successive WSL match Arsenal have failed to win. The result is a major confidence boost for Goater’s Villa side as they aim to climb the table.
USL: Khano Smith Extends Unbeaten Run
In the USL Championship, Manager Khano Smith guided Rhode Island FC to a valuable road point against El Paso Locomotive FC, finishing in a 2-2 draw. The dramatic four-goal thriller ensures Smith's side remains above the playoff line in the Eastern Conference standings, marking their third consecutive positive result.
Women's Cup and League Action
Bermudian players were active across the women’s game:
Keunna Dill’s FC United of Manchester Women suffered heartbreak in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup. Dill, who scored her team’s second goal in the 64th minute of a thrilling 3-3 draw against Manchester Laces, stepped up to convert her penalty in the shootout. However, FC United ultimately fell 4-3 on kicks from the penalty mark.
Camryn Lines’s Bridgwater United Women FC put in a dominant shift in the FA WNL Cup Group Stages, securing a 3-1 home victory over Marine Academy Plymouth Ladies FC.
Aaliyah Nolan and her Bradford City Women’s teammates were emphatic winners, claiming a 5-0 victory over Ossett United at the Ingfield Stadium.
Jahni Simmons finished a successful month with a crucial victory, as her Coventry Sphinx Ladies teammates secured a narrow 3-2 win on a long away trip to Leek Town.
K’Shaela Burch-Waldron’s Sutton United Women defeated Aylesford 2-1. Burch-Waldron had the ball in the net herself in the 35th minute, only for the effort to be ruled offside.
Substitutes and Shutouts
On the sidelines, several players were unused substitutes for their teams:
Mia Fishel was an unused sub as her Seattle Reign teammates defeated North Carolina 2-1 in the NWSL.
Leilanni Nesbeth remained on the bench as her Chicago Stars FC teammates were defeated 4-1 by the first-place Kansas City Current.
Meanwhile, Goalkeeper coach Dashun Cooper’s QPR Women’s team endured a tough day, falling 6-0 to Watford FC Women, while Jasmine Spence’s Newport Pagnell Town Women went down 1-0 to New Bradwell St. Peter FC.
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