Women show fight in tight defeat to Arsenal in FA WSL
Whilst West Ham men were grinding out a 0-0 draw in East London, the women were involved in a 7 goal thriller. Showing they can put it to the best in the league, the Hammers were unlucky to come away with nothing.
If playing in a new league for the first time is meant to be a nervous time, West Ham women haven’t shown it. The Hammers held a strong Reading side to a draw earlier this week and at the weekend they were narrowly outscored 4 goals to 3 by an Arsenal side who finished third last season.
The ladies in Claret and Blue went ahead twice early on, with midfielder Kate Longhurst netting both. There was much to be celebrated about the West Ham buildup that led to the goals, and coach Matt Beard will be very happy with his side’s showing against one of the toughest opponents in the league.
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Point, Goals and now to win
With the first point achieved in midweek, the side were very much on the hunt for a goal to start their season. Inside 15 minutes Longhurst had two, and the Hammers were showing their ability to mix it with the best. It’s not often you can travel to a side like Arsenal and think you could have scored 5 goals in 90 minutes.
However on the day the Gunners got 4 and West Ham 3, leaving the side to think of what might have been. One to keep your eye on throughout the season is definitely 19 year old Swiss winger Lehmann. The youngster has pace to burn and at times gave the Arsenal defence a lot to think about. If she can work on her end product during the season then the Hammers will have a useful asset throughout.
All in all the result wasn’t unexpected, because the Arsenal side is well established and well coached. They understand what it takes to win and trust in each other, which is why after the hour mark they began to pull away. If the Hammers can learn from this and come back strongly in the next match against Yeovil there’s no reason they won’t record the first FA WSL win in the club’s history.