Bees fall to a 1-0 defeat despite a good contest against Arsenal U21 in latest pre-season fixture.
The Bees started the game off brightly, using quick tempo and accrued ball movements in the hope of catching out the visitors with an early goal.
The Gunners proved they weren’t going to make it easy, as they provided quick attacking threat down the flanks to try and create some opportunities of their own.
A moment in play saw the visitors break on the counter attack down the left hand side, but as they approached the box Aria Heil was there to stand firm and stop the attacking move, winning the ball back and sending it up field.
Great effort from Che Thomas on the 20th minute, as she drove the ball down the left and sent it across the path of goal but it got cleared away by the defence before it could reach a Bees player.
Despite good chances from both sides, it was Arsenal who broke the deadlock, as their wonder from the left cut inside to the middle and charged into the box before slotting the ball past Jamie-Lee Hindle-Bamford, before the Bees behind by one.
Fran Vigo aimed to pull the Bees back before the break, as she fired a long range effort at goal, but the Arsenal shot stopper denied her attempt as the game went into the break.
Half-Time: London Bees 0-1 Arsenal U21
Half-Time substitutions saw Grace Stanley, Che Thomas and Liz Mulvaney being replaced by Grace Breen, Hayley Hoare and Megan Burrows as head coach Dan McKimm looked to change the flow of the game and tip it in the Bees favour.
The second half sparked a much better performance from the Bees, as they retained more possession on the ball, creating more chances towards the goal in the hope of an equaliser.
Chance broke for the Bees as Rubie Smith retained the ball from an Arsenal pass and looked to chip the keeper from distance but her effort went wide.
Betty Larkin entered the field on the 65th minute, and from then on she made an instant impact for the hosts.
Chance fell for Larkin a few minutes later as she hit the ball on the volley following a rebound by a Bees free kick, but the Arsenal goalkeeper made a good stop to deny the striker.
Just moments later, the Bees were so unlucky as Larkin is played through and slots the ball perfectly into the bottom left corner of the net but the referee ruled the goal out for offside.
On the 80th minute, Larkin then set up Sam Lanza for a shot outside the box, which looked to dip into the top right corner of the net but ended up going over the bar.
When a few minutes of regular time remaining, Arsenal looked to catch Hindle-Bamford off guard by trying to lob the ball over the Bees keeper, but she made a brilliant stop to keep the Bees from falling further behind.
Despite a good second half battle from the Bees, the referee blew the full-time whistle and the game ended 1-0 with the visitors taking the victory.
Full-Time: London Bees 0-1 Arsenal U21
The Bees host Maidenhead United in the final game of their pre-season schedule, with the season kicking off a weekend later.
Lineup: Hindle-Bamford, Heil, Cashin, Beard, Lanza (c), Mulvaney (Breen 46′), Vigo, Thomas (Hoare 46′), Buttigieg, Smith (Larkin 64′), Stanley (Burrows 46′)