Oukriss treble caps big win for Women's Under-19s at London Bees

The midfielder cancelled out Rebekah Wozniak’s opener to convert from the penalty spot on 23 minutes before she doubling her tally four minutes later, rounding off a fantastic move. Oukriss then completed her hat-trick 15 minutes into the second half with a stunning strike from the edge of the box.

We weren’t done there either. In the final 11 minutes of the contest, we were even more clinical in front of goal. Ruby Mace struck with another excellent effort from distance while Jhanaie Pierre stepped off the bench to net a brace before Lexi Withey rounded off the scoring with her second goal in as many games.

It was a scintillating performance from Matt Sharman’s side against a well-organised senior side, making it back-to-back victories to kick off the 2026/27 campaign.

Goalkeeper Rose Mylam was called into action early on to deny Che Thomas, Wozniak and Betty Larkin for the hosts while our first opportunity of the game came on 16 minutes from a low curling left-footed effort from Poppy Neill which was claimed by Amy Liddard.

(Photo credit: Kieran Falcon)

The deadlock was broken just a minute later though as Wozniak headed home a free-kick from the left for the visitors. However, we quickly found an equaliser and Oukriss, who just moments before produced a superb block in our box, was at the forefront from start to finish, winning a 50/50 about 35 yards out and charged into the box before she was tripped up as the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Oukriss stepped up and calmly slotted into the bottom right corner.

Nife Aramide struck the woodwork shortly after as her header crashed against the post, but she was pivotal in us taking the lead just three minutes before the half hour mark. After a lovely move down the left-hand side, Neill finding Ellie Johsnon who then played in Aramide, she took it to the byline on the right and clipped a lofted ball to the back post for Oukriss to force home.

The visitors were next to hit the woodwork, Daisy Beard’s free-kick from distance striking the crossbar, but from that point onwards, we should have comfortably added to our tally before the break. Eloise Summers-Mee unable to convert from a tight angle after rounding Liddard, Hills denied at the near post from Aramide’s low cross before the latter fired a half-volley over the bar as we only found ourselves one goal to the good at the break.

However, that quickly became two and Oukriss deservedly completed her hat-trick in superb fashion. Having received the ball on the far left of the box, she cut inside and curled into the far top right corner. Pierre, who has been with the first team throughout pre-season alongside Hills, was then denied by Liddard as we tried to further solidify our lead while, at the other end, Mylam was at full stretch to tip over Grace Breen’s looping header.

We continued to push forward, Oukriss with a perfectly timed ball to set Pierre through, but she was denied by Liddard once again before Mace’s fierce effort from distance crashed against the crossbar. Just seconds later though, Mace produced an excellent strike to grab our fourth of the evening. Oukriss turned provider to lay off Mace from around 25 yards out, to the right, and the midfielder had only one thought, sending a powerful effort over Liddard and into the top corner.

With five minutes left on the clock, we netted our fifth and Pierre got her name onto the scoresheet as, after some good pressure from Oukriss, Withey found Pierre on the far left of the box and she curled low into the far bottom corner through a sea of bodies. Two minutes later, and it was six, Mace playing a perfect ball over the top to set Summers-Mee behind the Bees’ defence, she unselfishly squares the ball to Pierre to tap home into the empty net.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Withey netted our seventh and made it back-to-back games at Under-19s level. Mace with another inch-perfect lofted ball over the top for Withey this time, she advanced into the box before switching the ball smartly onto her left before her effort took a slight deflection into the back of the net, completing a fantastic evening for our youngsters in a senior competition.

"All I can do is just praise our squad and the way that they approached the game"

Reflecting on the game, Sharman added: “It was a fantastic team performance start to finish. Obviously the first 15 minutes, we were taking a while to adapt to some of their rotations, the way they built from goal kicks and different various scenarios, but once we got through that, I think we were the much more dominant team. Our game changers that came on really changed the momentum and I don't think the level really ever dropped from anyone, so all I can do is just praise our squad and the way that they approached the game.

“All the goals that we had, there were some amazing individual moments, but the thing that I'm most proud of is there were some fantastic team goals as well. Ones were that plenty of players were involved in and people making sacrificial runs to open up pockets for players to run in. It was everything that we've been talking about from the start of pre-season.”

Line-up

Starting XI: Mylam, Northwood (Deria 46), Elmes, Bird, Bush (Hills 46 (Withey 80)), Mace, Aramide, Johnson (Pierre 46), Neill (Ordean 85), Summers-Mee, Oukriss. Substitutes (not used): Shields, Abeka.

Match data

Goals: London Bees - Wozniak 17; Spurs - Oukriss 23, 27, 59, Mace 79, Pierre 84, 87, Withey 90+4.

Yellow cards: London Bees - Vigo 57, Biggadike 90.

Venue: The Bees Arena.

Weather: Odd spells of rain, 18 degrees.