Goals galore in the first round of the SRWFL Cup for the Chairgirls!
A hat-trick of hat-tricks from Eman Kassem, Jess Watkins and Ellen Wardlaw, along with a brace from Kayla Potter, saw the Chairgirls cruise through their League Cup first-round tie against AFC Varsity on Sunday. A dominating first half saw the Chairgirls take an immediate lead and go into the break ahead by six goals to the visitors’ one. A five-goal feast in the second half capped off the influential showing from the Blues to send them through to the next round of the competition.
The Chairgirls were quick off the mark to gain the opener as Kayla Potter found her way past the visitor’s backline down the right wing, allowing her to cut back a cross from the byline and find player of the match, Eman Kassem, situated centrally in front of goal. Kassem’s controlling touch was followed by a right-footed strike which netted in the bottom left corner, sending the hosts ahead in the first minute.
Despite the Blues taking an early lead, Varsity were quick to retaliate as they made work of a misplaced ball from goalkeeper, Amber Taylor, and whipped it in to draw level in the third minute.
Varsity came close to making it two, only minutes later as one of their attackers darted forward with the ball following a goal kick from their end, but her attempt rolled just wide of the left post.
Wycombe were quick to regain control of the game however, as Potter made it two for the Chairgirls in the fifth minute. Fantastic footwork from Kassem in the middle of several Varsity bodies allowed her to set Potter up for a shot on goal which nestled neatly at the far post to send the hosts ahead once again.
It was quickly made three for Wycombe as they made work of a Varsity goal-kick which was headed back towards the hosts’ attacking goal by Danielle Puddefoot. Potter then took control of the ball to drive further towards goal, before squaring a pass across to Jess Watkins who drilled it in, in the eighth minute.
Looking to run away with the game, Potter made it 4-1 with only 20 minutes gone, as she found herself positioned dangerously in front of a misplaced clearance by Varsity, inside the box, allowing her to take the hit which was palmed in by the visitor’s keeper, bagging the first brace of the day.
Kassem upped her goal tally to two in the 34th minute, as she executed a fantastic run from a Potter pass which took her up to the edge of the box where she thumped the ball in with ease, sending the Chairgirls ahead by five goals to one.
Ellen Wardlaw claimed her first of the day in stunning fashion as she scored directly from a free kick outside the right edge of the box. Her shot tipped over the fingertips of the Varsity keeper to make it 6-1 in the closing minutes of the first half.
Having established a strong lead by the break, Wycombe were keen to extend the margin even further as they came out strong to the final 45. It took only five minutes from the restart for the Chairgirls to make it seven, as Wardlaw found herself of the receiving end of an outstanding cross from Emma Kern and drilled it into the far post.
It was a rapid two-minute turnaround from the seventh to the eight goals for the Chairgirls, as Watkins battled her way past two of the visitor’s backline before sending in her shot which rolled across the goal line in the 52nd minute.
Watkins claimed the first hat-trick of the day in the 57th minute as she tapped in Kassem’s pass from just in front of the goal, to up the difference to 9-1.
It was a 10/10 tenth for Wycombe, as Kassem sealed the deal off the back of some fantastic buildup play from one end to the other, which included work from two young debutants, Sophie Harvey and Meria Ashby. Ashby’s lovely weighted assist found the feet of Kassem, who’s control of the ball allowed her to round the keeper on the edge of the box and send it in, making it 10-1 in the 63rd minute.
Wardlaw made it the third hat-trick of the game in the dying minutes of the half as she stayed strong up against her marker in the box, maintaining possession of the ball and striking it in from the right of the goal, which was rattled in off the keeper.
The goal-filled bout ended with an outstanding 11-1 domination from the Chairgirls, who progress to the next round of the competition.
Kassem was rightfully named as player of the match after a stunning performance which saw her claim a hat-trick of both goals and assists.
The Chairgirls now redirect their focus onto league action, as they are set to head away to Winchester City Flyers next Sunday, looking to make it three wins on the bounce.
