Swindon Town Women put in a great team performance against a tough Moneyfields FC Women as they drew 3-3 at The Winklebury Football Complex on Sunday.
Moneyfields FC Women opened the scoring in the first half, with forward Gemma Simmonds finding the bottom right corner despite Megan Jarvis’s best efforts in the first couple of minutes.
Very much a replication of the last game against Liskeard Athletic, Town applied pressure within the first 20 minutes and saw Jarvis with two big chances in the early stages of the half.
The next opportunity fell the way of Town, with Winger Helena Diaz-Butcher receiving another perfect through ball coming close to opening the scoring but her effort flew straight into the hands of Moneyfields’s keeper.
Moneyfields had their first opportunity of the game, as the winger shot from the edge of the box and forced Town’s Emily McGrogan to make a brilliant stop to keep it level.
However, Town lost their momentum in the last 10 minutes of the first half, after a slip by Beck-Esson allowed Moneyfields to get the first goal of the game and saw Town go 1-0 down.
Despite falling a goal behind, it was a promising first 45 for Swindon as they looked to deliver more in the second half.
Half-time: Moneyfields FC Women 1 Swindon Town Women 0
It wouldn’t take Town’s Women long to equalise in the early stages of the second half, and forward Annie Colston who showed great composure sent the keeper the wrong way and drove the ball into the back of the net neatly.
Following this goal, Swindon looked to push on and created a good chance which fell to Diaz-Butcher, who was unmarked on the right-hand side but her shot could not meet the target and went just wide.
Despite Town’s pressure, Moneyfields again found themselves ahead in the 59th minute from a corner kick that was headed straight past McGrogan into the net.
There weren’t too many opportunities for either side after the goal went in for the home side, however, both teams applied more pressure in the latter stages of the game.
With just 20 minutes left in action, Moneyfields secured their third goal after a half clearance made by Town’s keeper from a well-worked corner kick and saw a header find the back of the net.
In the final five minutes, Town had a penalty appeal that was given by the referee as Gipsy Viveash was brought down by Moneyfields’s defender inside the box and Colston stepped up and struck the ball down the middle of the net.
It was a dramatic ending at The Winklebury Football Complex as Swindon got awarded a corner kick in the last second of the game where Colston completed her hattrick and headed the ball through the hands of the keeper to take one point away for Town.
Town Women will now move focus to the FA Cup first round against Sherborne Town next Sunday with an opportunity to advance further in the cup too.
Moneyfields FC Women: Jenkins, Heslam, Howard, Tonks, Moody, Pearce, Sitarz, Simmonds, Wilson-Wilton, Burgess, Taylor.
Swindon Town Women: McGrogan, Graham, Randall, Jarvis (Mugford 83), MacDonald, Colston, Diaz-Butcher (Viveash 60), Purnell (Evans 60), Beck-Esson, Haynes, Clifford.
