Oxford United Women beat Crawley Wasps 3-1 on the road yesterday afternoon to jump back to the top of the FAWNL Southern Premier Division.
Amy Goddard opened the scoring from a corner in the fourth minute before former U’s midfielder Oana Negrea levelled from the spot five minutes later.
The U’s reacted well and Tash Stephens regained the lead in the 19th minute before Riva Casley forced an own goal at the near post to make it 3-1.
The win puts United top of the league heading into a run of playing second, third and fourth back to back away from home before playing Gillingham at home on the final day of the season.
Stephens’ fifth in five games came at an important time, and after a disjointed month, the winger was proud of a solid performance from the Yellows
“I think we played well, there was a bit of rustiness as we haven’t played in a couple of weeks, but we had to flush that out the system. We played some really good football, moved the ball well and on another day I think we score a few more, but what’s more important is getting the win. We got that and we’re one step closer.
The winger, who scored against her old club, struck an excellent effort with her weak foot to put United ahead
“I was thinking can I put it on my right! I kept trying but I just thought I have to hit it, maybe I should use my left foot more often!
“They’ve got a lot of heart and they’ll always defend for their lives and they’ve worked really hard for each other. It’s always going to be tough but you’ve just got to be patient and break down the block and I’m glad we did that.
“We’ve trained really hard, worked hard and focused hard. We all know what we want to achieve and it was about getting the job done. When everyone’s focussed and the application is right, the performance follows and that showed today.
Focus now turns to Wednesday night, as the U’s have a quick turnaround before facing Watford away under the lights. Kick off is 7:45 PM at Grosvenor Vale.