The game started off pretty evenly as both teams found their feet. Liverpool had a few breakthroughs against the Newcastle goal, but all were either sent wide or easily dealt with by goalkeeper, Hannah Speake. The first goal for Newcastle came in the 24th minute. Amelia Eastham made an excellent run down the right wing, taking on three people and smashing the ball into the top left corner.
A very well-deserved goal.
The rest of the half was dominated by Newcastle, with Charley Kale hitting the post and the girls making some great passing plays and runs down the wing. Half time, 1-0.
Newcastle started off on a much better foot in the second half. The team looked much more composed on the ball and reading Liverpool’s plays. After only a couple of minutes on the pitch due to a substitution, Alice Jones would take home the second goal around the 75th minute. After a great passing sequence between Emily Atkinson and Charley, Charley passed the ball through to Alice who slotted the ball across the goal into the bottom right corner. A beautiful team goal. The last 15 minutes of the half kept Hannah busy in the goal. The highlights included an impressive diving save from a powerful shot by the Liverpool striker and three saves in very quick concession as Liverpool attempted to pull back the score line. This was much to their avail however, as Hannah and the rest of the team’s efforts meant that at the final whistle, the score line was 2-0 to Newcastle. As a result, a semi-final against Leeds Beckett 2s is on the horizon. Girl of the game: Hannah Speake.
This was overall a brilliant team effort by Newcastle and was just the kind of performance the girls needed to give us good momentum going into the semi-final. For anyone interested, the semi-final will be held in Newcastle on Wednesday 23rd February, and it would be brilliant to get as much support there as possible to cheer the girls on.
More information will be posted on our Instagram (@_nuwfc) regarding locations and times closer to the day.