WOODLEY UNITED LADIES fell to defeat against Oxford City despite a second-half fightback.
Woodley ended this match feeling disappointed to not have taken all the points but were undone by their failure to score in a first half which they enjoyed considerable possession in the Oxford half.
As early as the second minute, Mollie Haines through ball split the visitors back four for Angel D’Cruz to run onto.
However, the forward’s heavy touch allowed City’s keeper Sarah Clutterbuck to collect the ball.
This was the nature of the half with United creating good scoring opportunities through the passing of Haines and Maddie Sawyer and the tireless running of D’Cruz and Lucy Routledge but failing to convert them.
The visitors took the lead in 18th minute when Chloe Atkins scored direct from a free kick just outside the Woodley penalty area.
The hosts fell further behind in the 39th minute when they failed to clear a corner allowing Eve Blake to fire home from twelve yards.
Woodley maintained their tempo in the second half and were awarded in the 54th minute when they won a penalty which Haines converted, and drew level ten minutes later when player of the match Sawyer did well at a corner kick to create an opening and score past Clutterbuck.
The equalising goal spurred Oxford and it needed saves by Clara Stringer to keep the scores level.
However, the Woodley keeper could do nothing to stop Elle White beating her one on one in the seventy fifth minute when Woodley were punished for losing the ball in midfield.
Six minutes from full time May Hamblin was upended for a second United penalty but Lauren Bendall put her spot kick narrowly wide of Clutterbuck’s right post with the keeper moving in the opposite direction.
Woodley United: Stringer, Day, Page, Slann, Surtees, Vaughan, Raggett (Hamblin), Sawyer, D’Cruz (Bendall), Routledge (Tripp), Haines
