York women’s football 1st XI completed a whitewash for their sport over the ladies in red with a 2-1 victory, a scoreline which flatters Lancaster in a game totally dominated by the white rose.
Gaby Stewart almost opened the scoring immediately for York having been put through by Rose Hooks, but was denied by the Lancaster ‘keeper. York then came close again from a corner, with Hooks’ header being cleared off line, and Sarah Milner almost opened the scoring in stunning fashion on two occasions, first with a volley that sailed just wide of the upright, and then later with a well hit 25 yard effort which crashed against the woodwork.
Lancaster were struggling to mount any form of attack, being penned back in their own half by the York pressure, yet somehow it was the red rose who took the lead. They broke away down the centre with many of York’s number still in the opposition half, and after the initial effort was saved by Meg Phillips, the rebound fell invitingly to a Lancaster forward, who, with Phillips now out of position, slotted calmly into an empty net to make it 1-0.
York continued to press as hard as ever after going behind, and Hooks, Stewart and Pugh all went close, yet Lancaster somehow held on, and went into half time with a surprising 1-0 advantage.
Sometimes in football, things just don’t go your way, and the better team can lose out despite dominating a game. Thankfully for York’s ladies however, this was not to be the case today. The second half was still in its early stages when the white rose finally bagged their equaliser, the impressive Rose Hooks beating her marker down the left before cutting inside and slotting past the ‘keeper for a fine solo goal.
After a brief and rare period or Lancaster pressure, York found themselves in the lead at long last, and it was once again Hooks who was to be the hero, this time curling the ball past the ‘keeper from the edge of the area, leading the York support and players alike to breathe a sigh of relief.
Hooks had chances to complete a hat-trick, and captain Katy Ballantyne also came close with a long range effort, but the scores were to remain at 2-1, York surviving a scare late on when they were forced to clear the ball off the line after Lancaster attempted to prod home.
The final whistle blew to cheers from the York support, Ballantyne describing the game as ‘a great end to a great season’.