Albion’s WSL home campaign came to a close with a narrow defeat against Aston Villa.
A solitary second-half effort from Alisha Lehmann separated the sides meaning the Seagulls ended the campaign with just a solitary league win at Broadfield Stadium.
Villa, who announced head coach Carla Ward would be leaving her role at the end of the season, started the brighter of the two sides.
Kenza Dali and Rachel Daly looked particularly dangerous on the break, with the latter bringing a good save out of Melina Loeck, while Alisha Lehmann should have tested the Albion keeper, only to slice her effort wide.
Albion settled after those early scares and created their first opening on 16 minutes when Vicky Losada disposed Miri Taylor. The Seagulls skipper then threaded the ball through to Geummin Lee whose effort was saved by Anna Leat.
Villa continued to look a threat in attack. Dali pounced on some indecision among the Albion rearguard and threaded the ball through to Daly, but her effort fell the wrong side of the post.
The game really started to open up, with Madison Haley produced a moment of magic on the half-hour mark with a long-range lob that narrowly sailed over Leat’s crossbar.
The Seagulls’ best chance of the half came in the 32nd minute when Losada’s deft touch teed up Elisabeth Terland, but the Albion top scorer uncharacteristically shot wide from close range.
Meanwhile, Villa’s best effort came three minutes later with a superb 25-yard effort from Kirsty Hanson that crashed back off the bar.
Haley also shot wide, likewise Lehmann, with both sides no doubt wandering how the game was still scoreless as the half-time whistle blew.
Albion created the first chance after the break when Lee’s effort deflected off Anna Patten for a corner, but it was Villa who broke the deadlock in the 64th minute.
A long diagonal was brought down inside the box by Daley and while Maria Thorisdottir did well to get a challenge in, the ball fell into the path of Lehmann who drilled home.
With their tails up, Adrianna Leon flashed an effort across the face of goal for the visitors while sub Ebony Salmon also went close.
Katie Robinson was brought on to instil further pace into the Seagulls’ frontline but as she drilled a low ball across the box with two minutes remaining, Terland failed to connect under pressure from the Villa rearguard.
Albion were buoyed when the board indicated eight minutes of injury time, but they failed to find a way through as Villa defended in numbers.
The result saw Mikey Harris’s side drop to ninth in the table, with a final game to come at Arsenal next weekend.
Albion: Loeck, Thorisdottir, Pattinson, Bergsvand, Carabali (90 Kullberg), Zigiotti, Losada (65 Robinson), Lee 75 Sarri), Symonds (75 Stefanovic), Haley, Terland.
Subs not used: Li, Baggaley, McEwan, Dent.
Match report in association with SnickersUK.com