After an SSE Women's FA Cup fixture last weekend, it was back to league action this week at home against Stevenage, at Plantation Park.
The game started as a nervous affair, with neither side entirely comfortable on the ball. However, Stevenage settled first and scored their first on 19 minutes when Shona Chitate capitalised on a midfield mistake and struck from distance, beating Hope Armstrong, the Norwich keeper.
Stevenage scored a second with 24 minutes played when Ashleigh Deacon bypassed a stretched Norwich defence and found the net. At the restart and with barely four minutes played, it looked like Stevenage were set to score a third, when Sasha Diston conceded a penalty. However, the young Norwich keeper had a different view and kept her nerve resisting the temptation to guess which way to go and dropped onto the ball played straight up the middle and gathered the ball.
The next six minutes saw both teams making substitutions, Norwich Kate Parsons making way for Laura Thacker and a season debut for Ellie Smith recently returned from America on for Reeanna Cook. Stevenage replaced Amy Runiman with Kristi Burling.
Norwich, now clearly on the offensive, were going all out to claw their way back into the game and after a number of near chances were rewarded, when Laura Thacker cut the deficit, her downward header finding the net past a stranded Hannah Vandersluis.
More opportunities came and went for Norwich who now looked much the better side, but they couldn't convert their chances.
A final round of substitutions, for Norwich Kathryn Stanley on for Jodie Drake and for Stevenage Amy Josland on for Amy Makewell and Poppy Bennett for Ashleigh Deacon. However, despite an onslaught on the Stevenage goal up to the whistle, final score 2-1.
Norwich: Armstrong, Robson, Parker, Diston, Parsons (Thacker 58), Drake (Stanley 77), Durrant, Daviss, Garrett, Love, Cook (Smith 61), Subs not used: None
Stevenage: Vandersluis, Logie, Chitate, Godbeer, Deacon (Bennett 88), Makewell (Josland 83), Searle, Runciman (Burling 64), Emmings, Ryan, Pope, Subs not used: None
Referee: Ashley Tyne
Attendance: 49
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