Natasha Dowie Leads Liverpool Ladies to Cup Semifinal
Soccer News: With only 2 games remaining of the 2015 FA Women’s Super League, 3 out of 4 FA WSL Continental Tyres Cup quarter-final games took place on Sunday.
The current WSL champions Liverpool Ladies have had a surprisingly poor season in their domestic league campaign, but shown what they are capable of in their recent Continental Tyres Cup match against Bristol Academy Women.
Bristol Academy Women looked like they were in for a chance at the half time whistle as the game stood 1-1, but England national team regular Natasha Dowie was deservedly at the centre of all the post match talk.
It was a superb display from Dowie who scored all four goals for Liverpool.
Going into the game on the back of successive defeats by Arsenal and Manchester City in the Women’s Super League, Matt Beard’s sided responded magnificently with a brilliantly display.
Dowie has now fired nine goals in just six Continental Tyres Cup games, and the hunt for silverware this season is very much on.
Dowie then went close when she connected with a superb cross from Martha Harris, but Bristol stopper Mary Earps made a fine block.
At the other end Libby Stout showed her class with a stunning save to deny Christie Murray. It was to prove a vital save as minutes later the Ladies took the lead.
Rosie White was upended in the penalty area and Dowie smashed home the resulting penalty.
However, the lead didn’t last long and Jade Boho-Sayo fired the home side level with a low strike from 20-yards out.
Just before the break Dowie had a great chance but could only slice her effort just wide after a superb move involving Katie Zelem, Katrin Omarsdottir and Lucy Staniforth.
Liverpool took the lead 12 minutes after the restart with goal machine Dowie again on the mark.
Ingrid Ryland, back in the XI, provided the assist and the No.9 made no mistake from close range.
Back came the home side and Stout had to be at her best again as she somehow kept Caroline Weir’s goalbound effort out.
Dowie wasn’t to be denied her hat-trick though and it arrived courtesy of a precise pass from White, and the striker buried the ball beyond the reach of Earps.
Zelem came close to making it 4-1 with a drive from 20-yards that came back off the bar, Dowie also hit the woodwork and Earps made a brilliant save to deny White.
In stoppage time Dowie raced onto a through ball and netted again as the deadly striker made it 4-1.
Photos Courtesy of Women’s Soccer Scene Facebook
