The Bees get back to winning ways in the league with a dominant 5-1 win over Luton Town Ladies at the Hive.
It couldn’t have been a better start for the hosts, scoring the opening goal within just ten seconds. After winning the ball off the Luton defence within their own box, Betty Larkin had a shot which was perfectly placed past the goalkeeper in the bottom right corner.
It was almost a quick-fire double for the Bees, as just a minute after, the hosts had a similar opportunity after a shot was split by the Luton goalkeeper, but a great recovery kept Luton in the match. Though after the match transitioned into a midfield battle, the visitors would find an equaliser in the 12th minute when Chloe Logie received the ball on the edge of the box and firing her shot into the bottom left corner past the goalkeeper.
Half time: London Bees 1-1 Luton Town Ladies
With the scores level, the match opened up with both sides having opportunities to take the lead, with the better coming for the hosts when an in-swinging corner looked to cause the Hatters’ defence problems.
The Bees would gain control of the match the further the first half progressed, with much of the joy being found down the left wing, with Sandy Martins working the ball well into the box, resulting in numerous chances from corners for the hosts, though none of which resulted in the hosts regaining the lead.
Just ten minutes prior to the end of the first half, the Bees had a great opportunity to regain the lead. A shot from the right side of the box by Daisy Beard was parried into the path of Martins’, but her effort from a wide angle. Both sides would enter the break level, with the Bees hoping to carry on with their momentum in the second half, though it would be the visitors who would start the half better,
controlling possession in the early stages, trying to find an opening past the resolute Bees defence.
But after winning a free kick in their attacking half, the Bees eventually took the lead again
just four minutes after the break. A ball swung into the back post would be met wonderfully by Niamh Cashin, whose header found the inside netting of the far post despite the right angle the shot was taken from.
Such a goal changed the rhythm of the match, with the hosts having a plethora of
opportunities to double their lead. Best of all was when Aria Heil had a shot from just within the box, with her effort narrowly curling wide of the far post.
Such constant pressure led to the Luton goalkeeper being brought into action, resulting in consecutive corners, in which a header from Cashin within the six-yard box at the back post was well saved by Freya Upson on the mouth of the goal.
On the stroke of the hour mark, the Bees, continuing their domination, should have gone 3-1 up. After the ball was half-cleared from a congested corner, Larkin found the ball on the edge of the box, though her effort sailed well over the bar.
Shots were plentiful for the hosts, with a handball shout turned away by the referee , though just a minute later, the Bees would get what their efforts justified when an effort from Rebekah Wozniak beat Upson, rolling into the back of the net.
A fourth would arrive just three minutes later. Once again from a congested corner, a shot on the way to goal took a heavy deflection off a Luton defender, wrong-footing Upson, putting the match to bed. The latter stages of the match would be contested in the middle of the park, with the hosts still holding the majority of the possession, trying to work it towards getting a fifth, though the visitors would start to find a foothold in the match, attempting two shots from range which posed little issues for the Bees’ defence.
Though constant pressure paid off once more, with the Bees getting a fifth. A ball swung into the box made contact with Larkin, whose header was placed past the reach of Upson and into the top left corner.
The Bees are hoping to conmtinue this victory when they travel to Princes Park to take on Dartford.