Casey Cooper-Fiske reports as Millwall Lionesses’ cup campaign ends at the hands of a clinical Reading side.
Millwall Lionesses are out of the Women’s FA Cup at the fifth round stage after a 2-0 defeat by Reading at Adams Park.
The Bedfordshire outfit struck twice in the second half to secure their passage into the last eight. Millwall gave a fine account of themselves and troubled the hosts on a number of occasions.
The Lionesses had the first chance of the game as Lucy Loombes volleyed straight into the hands of Reading stopper Grace Moloney after just 10 minutes.
Loombes was impressing early on, as the youngster raced through on goal again in the 24th minute only to drag her shot wide.
As the very scrappy first half bore on, the home side began to grow in confidence and looked like scoring as Helen Ward raced forward for the Royals and delivered a very dangerous cross that was expertly gathered by Lionesses ‘keeper Sarah Quantrill.
Action
After the Lionesses impressed against their opponents from WSL 1 in the first half, in the second period the Royals’ experience and quality shone through as Quantrill was called into action just after the restart.
The Lionesses had shown a lot of defensive quality to stop the sea of hooped shirts from scoring, but on the hour mark Reading’s new signing, Equatorial Guinea international Jade Boyo-Sayo who joined the Royals from Bristol Academy in the current transfer window, fired the ball into the roof of the Millwall net after receiving Emma Follis’s cutback.
Millwall’s troubles were doubled 10 minutes later as Follis terrorised the visiting defence again, rounding Quantrill and dispatching the ball into the empty net.
Pace
Moments later, Reading probably should have made it three as Laura Bruton flashed the ball over the crossbar from close range.
The Lionesses improved towards the end of the game with the introduction of substitute Rinsola Babajide, who provided Millwall with a little bit more pace on the counter as they looked to find a way back into the game.
The nearest the Lionesses came to troubling Moloney was when Babajide raced down the line to whip in a dangerous ball for Lilli Maple whose mis-hit shot clattered off of the woodwork and away to safety for the Royals.
The Lionesses take on Oxford United on Thursday night as they look to bounce back from their cup disappointment and kick off their WSL 2 campaign with a bang.