Match Reports

Match report: Winning start to WSL season for Albion

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Kaagman and Lee score first-half goals in 2-0 Amex victory over West Ham.

By Bruce Talbot • 05 September 2021

By Kyle Hemsley
Geummin Lee celebrates her goal against West Ham at the Amex on the opening day of the season.

Albion made a winning start to the new Barclays FA Women's Super League season with a deserved win over West Ham United at the Amex.

The game changed 11 minutes before half-time when Danielle Carter's shot was handled by Hawa Cissoko who was sent off. Inessa Kaagman scored from the spot and Albion doubled their lead four minutes before the break through Guemmin Lee’s close-range finish.

In front of a crowd of 2264, Albion played some lovely football at times with Kaagman and player of the match Danielle Carter close to extending their advantage in the second half.

By Kyle Hemsley
Danielle Carter made her Albion debut in the win over West Ham.

Albion started on the front foot and moved the ball confidently in the early stages, but it was West Ham who went closest in the opening 20 minutes when Adriana Leon sent over a great cross from the right, but Mel Filis couldn't quite keep her header on target as she stretched in the six-yard box.

The lively Leon then hit the crossbar in the 27th minute with a deep cross from the left which looped beyond Walsh but came back off the bar.

West Ham seemed to have taken control. Claudia Walker couldn’t quite control a lovely through ball from Filis between Albion’s central defenders but then the game swung Albion’s way in the 34th minute.

Hammers’ keeper Mackenzie Arnold made a superb save to deny Ellie Brazil but Danielle Carter followed up and her goalbound shot was handled by Hawa Cissoko. The West Ham defender was sent off and Kaagman swept the penalty into the top right-hand corner.

By Kyle Hemsley
Inessa Kaagman (left) and Lee Geummin (centre) scored the goals to put Albion in control.

Five minutes before the break it was 2-0. Megan Connolly’s long-range shot was only cleared to Carter and her header inside the box dropped nicely for Lee to drive right-footed past Arnold.

The two scorers combined early in the second half when Lee’s pass gave Kaagman space to curl a shot just wide of the far post before Claudia Walker fired over at the other end after breaking down West Ham’s right. Albion responded with a great move involving five players which culminated with Carter drawing a good save diving to her left by Arnold.

To their credit West Ham kept going and during a spell when Albion got sloppy in possession Walker nearly profited with a right-foot shot from 15 yards which only just cleared Meg Walsh’s crossbar.

Carter had made an impressive debut and nearly claimed a deserved goal with a shot on the turn which Mackenzie pushed away. The game got stretched in the closing stages as Albion won several corners. They nearly added a third in stoppage time when substitute Kayleigh Green met Kaagman’s cross perfectly, but her shot was straight at Arnold.

As it was, they made a solid start to the season with Birmingham City at St Andrew's up next on 12 September.

Albion: Walsh, Le Tissier, Kerkdijk, Williams (Gibbons 67), Koivisto, Brazil, Whelan (Simpkins 78), Connolly, Kaagman, Lee (Symonds 55), Carter (Green 78).

Subs not used: Bowman, Babajide, Green, Stenson, Robinson, Adabowale.

Referee: Emily Heaslip

Booked: Symonds

Attendance: 2264

Player of the match: Maya Le Tissier