There was plenty of action over the past week as NWSL players featured in both league matches and in the Champions League. Rachel Van Hollebeke made her debut in Japan and Lianne Sanderson scored the lone goal as six players featured in the first leg of Apollon Limassol’s Champions League campaign. Here is this week’s global recap.
Damallsvenskan (Sweden)
Kristianstad DFF 3 – 2 Göteborg
Kristianstad came from behind to beat Göteborg 3-2 in their final match of the season thanks in part to Becky Edwards’s 75th minute strike. Göteborg went up early as they scored in the 17th minute with the only goal in the first half. Kristianstad struck first in the second half before giving up the lead less than ten minutes later. Edwards brought her team level again when she managed to get a foot on a well placed cross from right outside the box. Göteborg’s goalkeeper got a hand on it but was not able to stop the point blank shot. Kristianstad took the lead in stoppage time and was able to hold on for the win and secure the fifth place spot in the league. This was the club’s last match of the season, though there is still one more week of play in the league.
Nadeshiko League (Japan)
Iga FC 0 – 1 AS Saitama
Rachel Van Hollebeke made her debut and played a solid 70 minutes in Iga FC’s 1-0 loss this weekend. The match remained scoreless until shortly after she had been substituted, and it appears she has had no problems fitting into Iga’s back line and having an impact on the club. Kristie Mewis also signed for Iga FC this past week but her paperwork had not come through in time for her to feature in this match. The club will participate in a playoff match to avoid relegation to Japan’s second league.
JEF United Ichihara Chiba 5 – 1 Albirex Niigata, Albirex Niigata 0 – 1 Urawa
Tiffany McCarty featured in both of Niigata’s matches this past week, logging a total of about 25 minutes of play. With those consecutive defeats, Niigata drops to last place in the Nadeshiko top division and have yet to win a match this season.
INAC Kobe 0 – 2 NTV Beleza, Yunogo Bell 1 – 0 INAC Kobe
INAC Kobe also played two matches in the last three days, falling to both NTV Beleza and Yunogo Bell. Beverly Goebel and Naho Kawasumi played 90 minutes in each of those contests but were unable to get on the scoresheet in either match. Interesting to note that the INAC Kobe coach moved Goebel into the midfield during Monday’s match and had Kawasumi playing forward perhaps in an effort to change things up from the previous match. However, the change up did not appear to positively impact the club as they were held scoreless for the second straight match.
Scottish Women’s Premier League (Scotland)
Glasgow City FC 3 – 1 Hibernian
Glasgow City finished off their home play with a win as they beat Hibernian 3-1. Morgan Marlborough featured in the second half and showcased what people have come to expect during her time in Scotland. Though she did not find the back of the net, she put her speed and size to good use and had a couple of good looks at the goal. Marlborough did a lot of the leg work to put herself in a position to set her teammates up, with those chances just falling short as well. Overall, she played well in the time she had on the pitch.
Elitedivisionen (Denmark)
Vorup 0 – 8 Fortuna Hjørring
Fortuna Hjørring defeated Vorup 8-0 over the weekend. Match statistics were not available for Melissa Henderson or Taryn Hemmings, but Nadia Nadim scored again, making this the third consecutive match she scored in.
UEFA Women’s Champions League Results
Medyk Konin 2 – 0 Glasgow City FC
Glasgow City fell 2-0 in the first leg of their UWCL battle against Medyk Konin. Morgan Marlborough played 74 minutes and managed to put a significant amount of pressure on the opposing defense. Marlborough had her first scoring opportunity a mere two minutes into the match and several more attempts throughout her time on the pitch.
Apollon Limassol 1 – 0 Brøndby
Lianne Sanderson was the lone goal scorer in Apollon’s 1-0 win over Brøndby. The goal came in the 90th minute from the spot after one of Sanderson’s teammates was fouled in the box and was awarded a penalty. Besides Sanderson, NWSL players Haley Kopmeyer, Mollie Pathman, Danesha Adams, Ashley Nick and Yael Averbuch all started for Apollon, with Kopmeyer earning the clean sheet.
Ouriense 0 – 3 Fortuna Hjørring
Michelle Betos made her debut for Fortuna Hjørring and kept a clean sheet as the club won over Ouriense 3-0, making four saves in the process. Taryn Hemmings, Melissa Henderson and Nadia Nadim all played 90 minutes as well. Hemmings continues to work well on the back line which consistently shuts down the opposing attack while Henderson adds to an already strong offensive set up. Nadia Nadim continued her scoring streak from league play as she was brought down in the box and converted the penalty.
The second leg of the UWCL round of 32 will take place n October 15 and 16.
Feature photo courtesy of InCyprus/incyprus.philenews.com
