Warwick Women’s Football Club 1sts triumph over Wolverhampton

Warwick Women’s Football Club first game of the season was always going to be frantic, as both sides sought to win the first match of the 2021/22 season. And so it proved – from the moment the first whistle was blown it was clear that this game was going to be full of drama.

Within the first 20 minutes Wolverhampton were 2-0 up, and the frustration amongst the Warwick players was palpable. However, it was quickly understood that the defence were going to have to work as a cohesive unit to fend off Wolverhampton’s speedy attackers despite only having had one training session together prior to Wednesday’s match. 

An early substitution was made, and Alex Popper, UWWFC fresher, came on. As the first half developed Warwick began to communicate more and started to look like a winning team. Precious Ilorah, UWWFC fresher, made an excellent run down the wing and scored a superb goal making it 2-1. With a foot back in the game, Holly Foley, another fresher, took on and beat two Wolverhampton defenders and scored. Warwick had equalised and were back in the game.

Going into the second half at 2-2, Warwick were committed to securing the first win of the season with a new burst of energy and a much more positive attitude. With a corner won, Lana Singleton, First Team Captain, was poised on the edge of the box, patiently waiting for any stray balls to come her way. Her patience paid off and scored a terrific goal to put Warwick in front for the first time in the game. 

The contest was not over with a goal from Wolverhampton coming soon after to put both teams back on equal grounds. With twenty minutes left of the game, Holly Briggs (another UWWFC fresher!) scored a fantastic free kick to put Warwick back in the lead. 

But the drama did not stop there. With 10 minutes left on the clock Warwick gave away a penalty and all hopes of winning the game seemed to disappear. However, Natalia, the new First Team Goalkeeper, made a clinical save to keep Warwick’s three points on her debut.

Full time saw a deserved 4-3 win for Warwick and smiles all round from freshers and returning members alike. Super-sub Alex Popper commented “onwards and upwards from here!” and with this sort of attitude it’s hard to see anyone stopping the Ones this season. The same positivity was reflected by Captain Lana Singleton who is “looking forward to the season ahead after a really promising start”.

Elsewhere at Cryfield, Warwick Women’s 2 battled it out against De Montford 1s and marginally lost by three goals to two. After 90 minutes of injuries and countless shots on goal, the Twos were able to hold their heads high knowing the score sheet did not reflect their performance. They too left the pitch with smiles on their faces to head over to watch Warwick Women’s 3 fight tooth and nail to secure a 1-1 draw against Anglia Ruskin 1s.