Shootout win for Women's Under-19s after Saints fightback

Our Women’s Under-19s earned a bonus point in the Professional Game Academy League after a penalty shootout success over Southampton following a 2-2 draw in normal time on Wednesday.

We made a positive response from last week's defeat to Arsenal when goals either side of the break from Nife Aramide and Grace Bellwood put us in a strong position to bounce back with a victory.

However, two goals in a three-minute spell from Sherise Henry and Poppy Walton brought the visitors level and, after some fantastic saves from goalkeeper Sophie Jackson in the closing stages, the two sides couldn’t be separated to settle for a point, with a subsequent penalty following to determine the bonus point.

After 12 well-taken spot-kicks, Jackson then produced heroics, pushing Emily Wilson’s penalty on to the post before Blue Bartlett-Antwi stepped up and calmly converted to secure a 7-6 win and the extra point, which sees us leapfrog Southampton in third-place.

Sabiha Jamal named a young side to face the Saints that included three Under-16s in the starting XI – Amie Bush, Waris Deria and Daisy May Bird - with the latter two making their first appearances for the Under-19s and put in a solid performance at a higher level. There were also strong performances by a number of the six first years, including Holly-Mae Elmes who put in a positive display alongside Bird at centre-back.

Jackson was called in action after just two minutes, denying Walton from point-blank range before, in the 10th minute, Lucy Blumire struck the woodwork as her effort crashed against the top of the crossbar after we failed to clear the danger from a free-kick on the left. Bird, who certainly didn’t look out of place on her first start at this level, lofted an effort over the bar before Deria, Aramide and Summers-Mee all had shots blocked in quick succession with half-an-hour gone.

Then, 10 minutes before the break, we got ourselves ahead in the contest as Aramide rounded off a well-worked move. Starting from Grace Breen’s pass out wide to Summers-Mee, the forward then picked out Bellwood who produced a perfectly-weighted pass into the path of Aramide on the right of the box and she sent a low drive into the bottom corner at the near post. We could have counted ourselves lucky to be ahead at the break, though, as Summer Robins advanced down the right and sent a low ball across the face of the goal to an unmarked Lorien Howard-McDonald at the back post but she could only send her first-time effort wide.

As we looked to consolidate our advantage in the encounter, Aramide struck the side-netting from inside the right of the area before we managed to double our lead on 64 minutes. Heidi Hills drove inside before playing a lovely reverse pass to set Bellwood through into the area and she made no mistake from the left, a well-hit strike beating Olivia Protopsaltis-Evans at the near post.

Just four minutes later, the visitors hit back with the first of a quick-fire double after a corner from the left was partially cleared, allowing Henry to volley through a sea of bodies in the area and into the back of the net, before Walton raced behind our backline from halfway and calmly slotted into the bottom corner to equalise in a three-minute spell.

The momentum had completely shifted into the Saints’ favour and we were indebted to a number of fantastic saves from Jackson late on to ensure we earned a point in the end. First of all, she produced an excellent reaction to get a hand on Henry’s effort at the back post from point-blank range, after a low ball across the face of the goal, before stretching down low to her right to push away Sofia Dix-Trujillo’s low drive from the edge of the area, as the game then headed to a subsequent penalty shootout for a bonus point.

With both sides converting their first five spot-kicks, the shootout went to sudden death and Jackson stole the headlines once again as she palmed Wilson’s penalty onto the post and substitute Bartlett-Antwi duly stepped up to stroke home her spot-kick to earn us a 7-6 win and the extra point.

Penalty shootout

Walton – scored

Breen – scored

Blumire – scored

Summers-Mee – scored

Rawlings – scored

Hills – scored

Dix-Trujillo – scored

Bellwood – scored

Henry – scored

Aramide – scored

Clare – scored

Deria – scored

Wilson – saved

Bartlett-Antwi – scored

Match data

Goals: Spurs – Aramide 35, Bellwood 64; Southampton – Henry 68, Walton 71.

Referee: Ellis Lander.

Venue: Hotspur Way.