Albion start League Cup campaign with comfortable win

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First-half goals from Carla Camacho and Marisa Olislagers set up 2-0 win against Portsmouth.

Bruce Talbot

2025-09-24T21:00+01:00

Carla Camacho celebrates after giving Albion an early lead. 📷 Kyle Hemsley

Albion made a winning start to their Subway League Cup campaign with a comfortable win over Portsmouth on the 4G pitch at Havant & Waterlooville FC.

Dario Vidosic made ten changes to the side that won their first league game of the season on Sunday and Albion’s strength in depth was evident against the WSL 2 side, who were compact and hard to break down.

Carla Camacho scored her first goal for the club in the opening moments and it was 2-0 at the break after Marisa Olislagers scored for the second successive game.

Delight for Carla Camacho after she scored her first goal for the club. 📷 Kyle Hemsley

Maelys Mpome made her debut in the second half and the French defender impressed, although Pompey offered little attacking threat. Albion created other chances but couldn’t add further goals, despite having 19 shots. Nonetheless there were lots of positives for Vidosic.

Marisa Olislagers made it 2-0 with this left-foot strike. 📷 Kyle Hemsley

He gave first starts of the season to Sophie Baggaley, Jorelyn Carabali, Marit Auee and Nadine Noordam and full debuts to Fuka Tsunoda, who ticked over tidily in midfield, and defender Emilie Gay as well as under-19s Elliana Martin and Tahriah Heron, whose pace caused Portsmouth problems particularly in the first half.

Albion made the ideal start with a goal after four minutes. After a patient build-up Heron played the ball inside to Bex Rayner in space. Her shot was parried by former Albion keeper Comfort Erhabor and Camacho reacted to force the loose ball over the line.

Tahriah Heron was a threat on her first senior start for Albion. 📷 Kyle Hemsley

Baggaley was tested by a shot from Georgie Freeland but it was a rare moment of alarm for Albion, who dominated possession and used it well. Their press forced turnovers and they made it 2-0 after 28 minutes. A quickly-taken corner found its was to Olislagers on the edge of the box and she curled a left-foot shot past Erhabor.

A great move down the right-hand side ended with Noordam just failing to get enough contact on Heron’s cross to force it over the line before Pompey’s best moment in stoppage time when Greta Humphries’ powerful close-range shot was blocked.

Jorelyn Carabali made her first start of the season against Portsmouth. 📷 Kyle Hemsley

Albion continued to look far more threatening in the second half. Erhabor came racing out of goal to thwart Camacho before keeping out Nadine Noordam’s effort after Albion had more joy down their right.

Michelle Agyemang and Rosa Kafaji linked up in attack the last third of the game but Albion had to settle for two goals, although it wasn't for the want of trying. Agyemang forced Erhabor into a good save from her stinging drive before Erhabor denied her former club again in the closing stages, clutching Jelena Cankovic’s volley at the third attempt while in stoppage time Mpome's close-range volley hit the side netting.

Albion: Baggaley, Olislagers (Cankovic 45), Carabali, Auee, Noordam (Kafaji 62), Gay (Mpome 45), Heron (Seike 77), Martin, Tsunoda, Camacho (Agyemang 62).