Argyle Women came away with Devon Derby glory on Tuesday night, beating Exeter City 2-0 in front of a record-breaking crowd at Home Park.
Second-half goals from Phoebe Hampson and Tianna Teisar handed the Greens three points under the lights, and in the constant rain, in PL2.
The Green Army turned out in large numbers, with over 6,500 attendees coming to the FAWNL Southern Premier Division clash and the Celebration of Women and Girls in Sport event prior to kick-off.
Head Coach Marie Hourihan was over the moon with her team’s second-half performance and could not help but smile when talking about the support given to Argyle throughout the evening.
“I’m delighted, but it was definitely a game of two halves,” Hourihan told Argyle TV. “I think, in the first half, we very much played into Exeter's hands. They were sitting in a block, came here to frustrate us, make it difficult, try to hit us on transition, and we started to force it.
“We didn't switch the ball quickly enough. Our ball speed wasn't good enough in the first half, and I think we got bogged down in that block, but we spoke about it at half-time, tweaked a couple of things, and I felt in the second half our switches of play and detail were a lot better.
“We had much better intensity in that second half, which I think really galvanised the supporters in the crowd and made it a great atmosphere. It was a great team [goal] and finish by Phoebe, and then to finish it off in the last minute with Tianna’s goal was superb.
“I think they had a couple of moments in the second half where balls bounced in the box, but other than that, I thought we defended pretty well overall.
“The build-up play to the opener was good. Phoebe’s got the capability, so for me, I'm not surprised by the strike, as we’ve seen it first-hand in training sessions. She’s not really had that opportunity yet, in terms of consistent game time, since she's come back to England.
“Across the game, I thought she played really well and grasped the opportunity given to her. The momentum was with us, the goal was coming, and you could feel it, so we needed to seize that moment and be clinical, and what a way to do it.
“I think we spoke a lot this week about composure, especially off the back of the Gwalia game, where we had a lot of really good opportunities, but lacked that little bit of composure in the moment, and she's gone through one-on-one and scored. She's got all the time in the world to think about it, which, as a forward, is probably the hardest thing, but the finish was excellent, and I’m really pleased for her.
“The support tonight was amazing. The players were so excited about this game. I also think how it was pitched and supported by the club and local area was fantastic. The numbers that we had today, and that second-half atmosphere was amazing and electric.
“I really feel that it massively benefited the players and drove the players on. For the next home game against Lewes, can everybody come again, please!”
