Edinburgh’s 1st and 2nd teams struggled against Stirling University, and were unable to convert dominance on the field into three points.
The 2nd team, with two wins and ten goals from their previous two games, started the game brightly and saw most of the possession in the first half. Pressure from Jade Currie and Jodie Ovens on the Stirling defence nearly brought a goal in the 14th minute when Edinburgh hit the post and shot just wide! Edinburgh continued to work hard but Stirling defence stayed strong. The score at half time remained 0-0. The game stayed close but in favour of Edinburgh with a good chance for Liv Gilliam after 65 minutes had been played but could only find the post. Then against the run of play, Stirling broke away and scored with 25 minutes to go. Edinburgh pushed for an equaliser but the score remained in Stirling’s favour. Edinburgh now sit in 2nd in the Scottish 3A league below Stirling.
That game was preceded by the 1st team’s match. Stirling, having won against both Robert Gordon and Glasgow, were sitting atop the Scottish 1A league heading into the game.
The game started with all play in favour of Edinburgh but when a corner ended in a scrap in the box, Stirling managed to get the ball over the line despite the best efforts from Edinburgh defenders. Edinburgh responded straight away and Louise Kerr was unlucky to see a brilliant strike well saved at the other end. The next goal was again against the run of play and came from a Stirling break down the right hand side. Despite the tight angle, the strike hit the inside of the far post and bounced just over the line. Edinburgh continued to move the ball well and got their reward on the stroke of half time when Courtney Mcavoy connected well with a corner and headed the ball well out of reach of the Stirling keeper.
The second half was just as frustrating as the first for Edinburgh, keeping all the possession but not creating any clear chances. As the game drew to a close Edinburgh were pushing up for the equaliser and were caught on the break by Stirling who finished calmly. The match finished 3-1 in Stirling’s favour. This week proved to be tough for all players and coaches involved with EUWAFC but both team’s learnt a lot and will take this experience forward in their upcoming fixtures. The 1st team next travel away to Aberdeen to face RGU, while the 2nd team take on Abertay.