Bees Hit the Ground Running with 5-1 Victory Over Stevenage!
London Bees made the perfect start to their 2026/27 league campaign with a convincing 5-1 victory over Stevenage at the Bees Stadium.
The Bees started brightly, enjoying the majority of possession in the opening stages as they looked to put early pressure on the visitors, although Stevenage also looked dangerous on the counter.
Gemma Biggadike played Elizabeth Mulvaney through down the right, with Mulvaney delivering a dangerous cross into the box towards Sam Lanza. However, the Stevenage goalkeeper got a touch to the ball and managed to push it away from danger.
Jamie-Lee Hindle-Bamford was then called into action during Stevenage’s first real attacking move of the afternoon, closing the gap at the near post to prevent a low cross from finding its target.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 13th minute. Abbie Bensted delivered the ball from the edge of the box, with Lanza reacting quickest from close range to fire the Bees into a deserved lead.
Lanza wasn’t finished there, doubling the advantage shortly afterwards. The forward found herself one-on-one with the goalkeeper and kept her composure to slot the ball into the back of the net, despite the keeper getting a slight touch.
The Bees continued to turn up the pressure and added a third just after the half-hour mark. Captain Hayley Hoare cut inside from the left before curling a superb finish into the bottom-right corner to give the Bees a commanding advantage.
With half-time approaching, the Bees struck again. Mulvaney grabbed her first goal for the club after meeting Daisy Beard’s cross in the middle, powering her finish into the back of the net to send the Bees into the break four goals ahead.
Half-Time: London Bees 4-0 Stevenage
Stevenage came out with renewed energy after the restart and began to apply more pressure, working the ball through the middle and making their way towards the Bees’ box. Hindle-Bamford remained composed, however, making a crucial save to deny the visitors.
Midway through the second half, Head Coach Dan McKimm made a number of changes, bringing on Betty Larkin, Fran Vigo and Rubie Smith as the Bees looked to manage the game and maintain their advantage.
Larkin once again made an immediate impact. Shortly after entering the field, she added a fifth for the Bees. Bensted played the striker through on goal as she battled with her defender, and after breaking free, Larkin found the space to unleash a composed finish into the top-right corner.
Che Thomas and Grace Stanley were introduced moments later, giving further players valuable minutes while adding fresh energy to the Bees’ performance.
With the game entering its final stages, Stevenage managed to take away the Bees’ clean sheet with a late consolation goal. The visitors broke forward two-on-one and, despite a strong challenge from Grace Breen to clear the danger, the ball fell kindly for Stevenage, who were able to finish from the resulting opportunity.
The full-time whistle soon followed, with the Bees securing a convincing 5-1 victory and an excellent start to their 2026/27 league campaign.
Full-Time: London Bees 5-1 Stevenage
The Bees hit the road next Sunday for a 2pm kick off against Cambridge United in the FAWNL Division One South East.
Lineup: Hindle-Bamford, Heil (Smith 71′), Breen, Cashin, Beard, Lanza (Larkin 62′), Mulvaney, Biggadike (Vigo 71′), Bensted (Stanley 81′), Buttigieg, Hoare (Thomas 81′)
Goals: Lanza (13′, 21′), Hoare (32′), Mulvaney (45′), Larkin (74′)