OXFORD United Women won their fifth game on the bounce as they continued their title push with a 2-0 victory at home to Plymouth Argyle.
The U’s are two points off the top of Southern Premier Division after leaders Ipswich Town matched their result with a 1-0 win against Gillingham.
The top two sides meet each other on Sunday, while United still have two games in hand on the current league leaders.
At Court Place Farm against Plymouth, Tash Stephens and Amy Goddard headed home Naomi Cole deliveries to win all three points.
It was the visitors who had the first sight of goal though, when Rose Kite had to sweep the ball from danger after Charlotte Whitmore got in behind the U’s defence.
Stephens then headed wide at the back post from a Cole corner, before Riva Casley rattled the crossbar from another Cole delivery.
Carly Johns had her first chance of the game just after the half hour mark when she saw an effort blocked by a visiting defender.
United took the lead with 10 minutes of the half to play, when Cole’s deep corner was met by Stephens again unmarked at the back post, and this time she headed home from a yard out.
The U’s were boosted by going a goal in front, with Daisy McLachlan curling a left-footed effort onto the roof of the net.
On the stroke of half-time, United doubled their lead when Goddard sent a towering header into the goal from Cole’s delivery.
#oufc defender Ciaron Brown played in different roles as Northern Ireland were beaten at home by Finlandhttps://t.co/Vqu4Ktkr1S
— Oxford Mail OUFC (@OxfordMailOUFC) March 27, 2023
Lacy-Jai Liggett replaced Stephens just after the hour mark and almost made an instant impact when she struck the foot of the post.
Liggett then clipped the crossbar, before McLachlan had a curling effort tipped round the post by Jasmine Read.
Manager Liam Gilbert said: “Some of the football we played was very good, not as good as some of the other recent performances, but we’ve scored two goals and kept a clean sheet.
“You take that before the game starts.
“The girls managed the game superbly, we knew when we wanted to go quick and we slowed the game down right at the end and it was a professional performance, that’s the best way to describe it.
“The game didn’t really have much of a flow to it, it was quite stop-start which can affect anyone’s rhythm.
“The girls dealt with it fine and adjusted to it really well.
“Rose didn’t really have a save to make the entire game so that’s a massive positive, defensively or out of possession we were brilliant.”
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