The inaugural match of women’s college football saw Goodricke twice fight back from behind to snatch victory from Langwith in an entertaining encounter which resulted in Goodricke running out 3-2 winners. Women’s football is new to the calandar this year, and this contest was the curtain raiser for what promises to be a fascinating season.
The match provided a bizarrely quiet atmosphere throughout; as neither team seemed willing to call for the ball or shout instructions or indeed say anything to their teammates. For almost the entire first half, both teams seemed content to carry out the game in near total silence.
Despite this peculiarity, the game itself was nonetheless a lively encounter; Langwith started the stronger, raining down shot after shot upon the Goodricke goal. However goalkeeper Daphne Allamenou proved a safe pair of hands as she made an impressive string of saves and catches to repeatedly deny the Langwith team.
Inevitably, though, Langwith broke through the resistance, as Ruby Callister cut inside to collect the ball on the run, and found the net with a neatly dispatched finish across Allamenou into the bottom corner.
However this seemed to wake Goodricke up, as completely against the run of play, a pressing Goodricke move led to a cross, which was met with a crisp first-time shot from Grace Forsythe, wrong-footing Langwith keeper Annis Stead and sending the ball fizzing back into the far corner of the net to end the half all square.
The second half began much the same as the first, with Daphne Allamenou again keeping her side in the game as Langwith poured forward, putting the Goodricke goal under intense pressure as in the first half.
As before the break, the Goodricke resistance could only last so long before being broken, this time a shot from Lorna Livingston ricocheting off the post only served to provide brief reprieve as Ellie Yates was on hand to drive in the rebound and put Langwith back in front.
But in a facsimile of the first half, conceding again proved to be the spur Goodricke needed, as they immediately equalised, Grace Forsythe breaking through on goal and showing great composure to beat Stead at her near post.
And then, having been under the cosh for so long, Goodricke almost went from trailing to leading in the blink of an eye as Rachel Hart found herself completely unmarked in front of the Langwith goal, and had time to let fly a shot to which keeper Stead could only get a fingertip on its way into the net. However Langwith breathed a sigh of relief as the goal was disallowed for a foul in the build-up.
Goodricke were in their stride though and not to be denied, as late on Lauren Matheson, who had produced a solid display in a compact Langwith defence, was caught in possession by Beth Dodd, who produced an excellent finish to find the bottom corner under pressure and inflict a sucker punch on Langwith and complete a sterling comeback.
Vision MOTM: Daphne Allamenou