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A back-and-forth affair between the Irons and the Lionesses ends in a draw for London City, before being edged out in a penalty shootout.
With a loss in the shootout, the Lionesses grab one point to kick off the group stage of the Conti Cup heading into the international break.
London City got things started early, breaking the deadlock in the 26’ through a strike into the bottom right corner by the 26-year-old defender Lois Heuchan.
It was Heuchan’s first goal of her Lionesses career.
Grace Neville put together a quality afternoon, collecting two assists from the back in her second start of the season, and first since the opening match of the season against Crystal Palace.
Before the Irons even had a chance to level the game at one, Sarah Ewans fired a crafty header into the bottom corner to put London City up by two with 28 minutes left on the clock.
It was Ewans' second goal of the season for the Lionesses and her second in as many games.
West Ham got themselves back in the game though, finding the equalizer and sending the game to a shootout for the right to earn two points in Group C of the Conti Cup.
Dagny Brynjarsdottir’s header in the final stages of stoppage time saved West Ham while Viviane Asseyi's right-footed strike ignited the West Ham comeback.
A see-saw penalty shootout saw 19 shots fired on goal. Shae Yanez was a wall between the sticks, saving the first penalty that came her way on top of coming up with heroic stops to keep the Irons off the board in regulation.
The Lionesses' next match is against Coventry United on the road at Butts Park Arena on October 16 following the break in league and cup action.
Two of London City’s own will be representing the Lionesses on the international stage over the next week.
Lily Agg and Haley Nolan will represent the Irish National team as it fights for a chance to qualify for the World Cup.
Agg and Nolan will play in a match on October 11 against the winner of Scotland vs Austria for a spot in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer.
Following the match, London City boss, Melissa Phillips spoke on her team’s performance, stating:
“A fantastic performance against a very hard working WSL side.
"We enjoyed large spells where we dominated the game and executed two fantastic goals in areas we knew we could exploit them.
"These cup games always provide us a great opportunity to learn and test ourselves. So many positives to take away from today in addition to vital experiences to take into the league.”
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