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London City Lionesses were held to a scoreless draw in their season-opening match against Sunderland A.F.C. on Sunday [27 August].
“I think the draw was positive for us because they had more chances,” head coach Carolina Morace told reporters at the Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground.
“Sometimes we have to adapt how we play and attack with more verticality, but – with many new players in the squad – I am satisfied.
"Of course, I want us to create many more chances than we did today… we need to develop a better understanding of how to move the ball into the half-spaces.”
In a contest of few shots on goal, Grace Moloney made three crucial saves to secure a debut clean sheet, including an injury-time stop to deny young forward Katy Watson in a one-on-one showdown.
“It was definitely a baptism of fire for us, with lots of new players signing this summer, so we’re not going to be too hard on ourselves,” said newly-appointed captain Lois Joel.
“We were a little bit lucky at times, but we created a few positive patterns of play and we’re going to build on that in the next week. We spoke at half-time about trying to verticalize the game a bit more and we tried to play more direct after the break.
“Although we wanted the win, we’re going to take the point from today and build on it.”
Georgia Brougham, one of nine players to debut for the Pride on the first weekend of the season, received the Player of the Match award for a composed performance in central defence, with Joel and Moloney also earning credit for standout performances.
The Pride, we return to Princes Park on Sunday 3 September – and your support could make the difference as we face Watford in the Barclays Women’s Championship.
After an incredible summer of football, we can’t wait to see you back at Princes Park again.
Support the squad and make the most of our ‘kids for a quid’ offer today:
Alternatively, lock in for the whole campaign with a season ticket, with passes available from just £5.45 per match.