Report | Cardiff Met Ladies 1 Swansea City Ladies 2
Swansea City Ladies began their Genero Adran Premier campaign with a last-gasp victory against Cardiff Met at the Cyncoed Campus.
The defending champions fell behind in the first-half after Emily Allen broke the deadlock, but Swansea equalised in the second-half after Stacey John-Davis found the back of the net with a calm finish.
The visitors then snatched all three points in the last few minutes after Shaunna Jenkins turned home the rebound after seeing her penalty hit the woodwork.
The Swans made a promising start to the high-calibre clash between last season's top two and threatened to open Cardiff Met’s defence early on.
With five minutes on the clock, Katy Hosford looked to feed in Tija Richardson, but the pass just got away from her.
Despite that, it was Met who took the lead through Allen who found the far corner from a tight angle.
Swansea looked to reply quickly and nearly did so; John-Davis hit the post from close-range after she got on the end of Hosford’s drilled cross.
On the search for an equaliser Chloe Chivers played a dangerous ball across the face of goal but it was too far in front of John-Davis.
However, just two minutes later Chivers cut Met’s defence open with a through ball to John-Davis, who remained composed to dink the ball over an outrushing Anabel Sweeney to level.
After posing more of an attacking threat at the start of the second half, Swansea had to survive a brief onslaught from the home side.
A scrappy situation in the Swans’ penalty area led to an array of close-range strikes from Met but Claire Skinner was aware to tip the best of those efforts onto the crossbar.
Hosford came agonisingly close to giving the two-time defending champions the lead after Chivers flicked a header on to the winger, but she could only fire wide of the target.
However, there was to be late drama as Rhianne Oakley was bundled to the ground by keeper Sweeney and was consequently awarded a penalty.
Jenkins stepped up and fired her penalty against the crossbar, but she reacted quickest to turn the ball home on the rebound.
Cardiff Met Ladies: Anabel Sweeney, Lucy Finch, Hannah Mills, Stephanie Turner (C), Sophie Hancocks, Amy Long, Emily Richards (Shannon Evans 61’), Taylor O’Leary, Erin Murray (Ellie Preece 90’), Emily Allen, Elianna Chavez
Subs not used: Charlotte Smith, Courtney Butt, Grace Corne
Swansea City Ladies: Claire Skinner, Ellie Lake, Shaunna Jenkins, Alicia Powe (C), Ria Hughes, Tija Richardson, Emma Beynon, Chloe Chivers (Rhianne Oakley 79’), Kelly Adams (Laura Davies 73’), Katy Hosford, Stacey John-Davis
Subs not used: Gemma Border, Nieve Jenkins, Jess Williams
