Argyle Women stormed to a comprehensive victory on the road on Sunday afternoon, beating bottom side Billericay Town 9-0 in Essex.
Una Lue scored her first hat-trick in green, Olivia Francis and Tianna Teisar both scored braces, and Ellie Noble and Katie Wilson rounded out the scoring at New Lodge.
Head Coach Marie Hourihan named a much-changed side from that seen at Foulston Park in County Cup action the weekend prior, but as expected.
Hermione Cull, Roisin Kivel, Ellie Noble, Tianna Teisar, and Arabella Suttie all returned to the starting XI, with Phoebie Poole and Phoebe Hampson finding their spots on the bench.
Argyle’s XI was constructed as usual. Cull with the gloves and a back four of Ella Stephens, Suttie, Katie Wilson, and captain Kivel in front. Layla Proctor and Noble sat ahead of the back four, with Olivia Francis, Tamara Wilcock, and Teisar supplying support for Una Lue as the Greens’ nine.
The match started with Argyle applying immediate pressure – something we would see for the remainder of the game – hunting for goals against a youthful Billericay side.
Through the opening 10 minutes, Hourihan’s side had the ball in the back of the net twice but only held a one-goal lead. The first came from Teisar, who thought she had scored after some tidy play from Stephens in the middle of the pitch, but the offside flag was raised, ruling out the opening goal.
Just a minute later, it was 1-0. High pressure continued, forcing a turnover of possession near Billericay’s box, and led to Argyle’s first of the game. Francis pounced onto the ball and found the back of the net with a confident side-footed finish past Tyrii Bell in the hosts’ goal.
Over the next half an hour, Argyle domination continued, adding five more goals. The average of six minutes between each goal started with Noble’s left-footed strike in the 19th minute and was followed by a seven-minute Teisar brace.
The Welsh international’s first came from a close-range volley, after Francis perfectly picked out her compatriot with a cross from the right flank. The second was a similar finish to the first, but this time came from the penalty spot, following a ricocheted ball falling into her path.
Argyle’s first-half scoring was rounded out by Lue, adding the fifth in the 40th minute from the penalty spot and another just a minute later. Just before the referee blew her whistle for the break, the Greens’ number two had the ball in the back of the net, but the offside flag ruined the chance of a nine-minute hat-trick.
As the game restarted for the second 45, an initial burst forward for the hosts caught Argyle off guard, but composure and confidence quickly returned the game to the same approach as the first half.
Within 10 minutes, Wilson added a seventh. The defender headed home, via the hand of Bell from an attempted save, after the Billericay goalkeeper managed to initially deal with an in-swinging Kivel corner well.
Hourihan then turned to her bench and brought on Paris Dalton and Charlotte Whitmore to replace Proctor and Teisar over the next 25 minutes, with both players having an impact on bringing the energy needed to continue Argyle’s approach of scoring more goals.
10 minutes before time, Lue had her third. A quick counter-attack, after tidy defensive work as a unit, ended with a right-footed finish inside the box from the forward.
When it finally seemed no more action would come from the game, Giota Papaioannou made her way onto the pitch, and Francis scored her second, with a similar finish to Lue from the goal before.
The full-time whistle was then blown, ending the game and handing Argyle an important victory in Essex to help them in the FAWNL Southern Premier Division standings.
Argyle: 1 Hermione Cull, 2 Una Lue, 6 Layla Proctor (17 Paris Dalton, 62), 11 Roisin Kivel (capt), 14 Katie Wilson (5 Giota Papaioannou, 87), 15 Tamara Wilcock, 16 Ella Stephens, 19 Ellie Noble, 23 Olivia Francis, 24 Tianna Teisar (7 Charlotte Whitmore, 73), 26 Arabella Suttie. Substitutes: 21 Eilish Brogan (gk), 3 Phoebe Hampson, 9 Phoebie Poole, 29 Chloe Ingrouille.
Goals: Francis 10, 90+1, Noble 19, Teisar 24, 31, Lue 40, 41, 80, Wilson 56.
Yellow Cards: Proctor 60.
Billericay Town: 1 Tyrii Bell, 2 Emily Vennard, 4 Gracie Hickman, 6 Dulcie Galbally, 7 Liz Santaigo (3 Macie Windsor, 90), 15 Alix Ralston, 17 Melissa Jones (5 Learna Daniels, 46), 20 Megan McAniskey (11 Aimee Cawood, 60), 21 Tecia Ledwidge, 23 Abbi Smith (capt), 26 Summer Addy (12 Leyla Priest, 60). Substitute: 18 Catarina Pita.
