Gloucester City Women complete unbeaten league campaign after second-half comeback against Stockwood Wanderers Women
Gloucester City Women ended the season as ~Invincible~s after beating Stockwood Wanderers Women 9-2 at the Tigerturf Stadium, writes Abi Harding.
Goals from Sachi Kaneko-Grun, Lucabella Davis, Daniella Soave, Emine Akkurt and Kami Stitcher ruled out goals from Stockwood forwards Erin Vowles and Jemima Seagrove.
Despite City’s unbeaten run, it was Stockwood who opened the scoring within the opening minute, Vowles finding the target from long-range to put the away side ahead.
The hosts tried their best to get back into the game, but shots from Kassidy Grey, Nalani Lasmarias, Mirry Smith, Paige Todd and Lauren Peck were either met by Stockwood keeper Ava Vowles or fell wide of the posts.
The scoreline remained unchanged at the break, however, it took Gloucester City just a minute to equalise at the start of the second half.
Substitute Davis received the ball in the area from Taite Scheafer and opened her body up to finish into the bottom right-hand corner.
She then got her second less than 10 minutes later, running in behind, and converting on the second attempt, after an initial save from Vowles, to turn the game on its head.
League top-scorer Kaneko-Grun then got in on the action four minutes later, running past her marker before unleashing a powerful effort that found the back of the net.
Kaneko-Grun got her second of the afternoon and City’s fourth from the penalty spot, driving her effort low and hard into the bottom right-corner.
The away side clawed one back before the 80th minute mark, Seagrove scoring from range to give Stockwood a lifeline going into the last 10 minutes
However, that hope of a comeback didn’t last long, Akkurt on hand to tap Davis’s cross into an empty net to give City a fifth.
Kaneko-Grun then completed her hattrick, beating a player for pace before neatly tucking her effort away.
With all the stoppages due to injuries, a lengthy sum of extra time was added, in which the hosts managed to add another three goals to their tally.
Centre-back Stitcher grabbed her fourth goal of the season, poking another Davis cross over the line, before Soave scored a brace in the dying minutes, slotting past Vowles to put the game to bed.
The result means Gloucester City go the entirety of the 2024/25 league campaign as Invincibles, whilst Stockwood finish the season sat eighth, on 18 points, two points above the relegation zone.
Gloucester City: Linteo, Soave, Karbownik, Neall, Stitcher, Grey, Peck, Hudson-Clements, Todd, M. Smith, Lasmarias
Subs: Kaneko-Grun, Scheafer, Gomez, Davis, Akkurt
Stockwood Wanderers: A. Vowles, Friend, Morgan, Winstone, Russ, Bassett, Andrade, Blenkinsopp, Stadden, E. Vowles, Seagrove
Subs: Marsh, Raine
C Martin Roofing Player of the Match – Lucabella Davis (Gloucester City Women)
Cover photo taken and copyright Jamie Brain Photography. Visit his Instagram @jamiebrain_photography
