On the 9th of October, I had the amazing opportunity to watch and photograph the Cardiff University Ladies Football (CULF) team taking on UWE at Llanrumney.
From pre-match warmups to target practice, this team looked ready to win.
In the first 4 minutes, it seemed like CULF would take the lead, with number 6, Lottie Trespaderne, attacking with pace, but her shot went narrowly wide.
The UWE defense became strengthened after that early scare from Lottie.
CULF’s number 5, Ashleigh Poolan, went for goal in the 13th minute, but, similar to Lottie’s effort, it went narrowly wide.
Despite this, UWE struggled to clear the ball, and with Ashleigh constantly pressing in the box marking her player well, it was a strong 15 minutes for the number 5.
There was very good link up play between Lottie and Ashleigh, as Lottie went for goal again in the 16th minute but fired it straight at the UWE goalkeeper.
A heavy tackle from CULF’s number 12, Emma Henry, saw UWE’s number 4 taken to the ground in the 18th minute.
CULF won a corner, taken quickly and well by number 11 Saira Fisher, but it was headed straight over the crossbar.
In the 22nd minute, UWE’s number 23 gave CULF’S number 5, Ashleigh Poolan, an aggressive shove in the back - an incident that should have been a foul, as CULF deserved a free kick.
UWE looked strong on the attack, and in the 25th minute, they went for goal, but the shot went just wide.
CULF’s number 7, Catherine Andrews, did well to track back, but UWE capitalised on a counterattack after CULF’s number 2, Jenna-Marie Taylor King, mistimed her tackle.
In the 32nd minute, UWE got the opening goal. CULF’s goalkeeper Betsy Mangan guessed the right way, but there was just too much power behind the shot.
UWE grew more confident on the ball as the lead seemed to fuel their momentum.
UWE’s aggressive play saw tackles on both CULF’s number 8, Lulu Patalano, and captain, number 14, Sophie Hauptmann.
As halftime approached, UWE took a corner, but it was poorly executed and booted clear by the CULF defence. At halftime, the score stood at 0-1.
The second half kicked off with an immediate impact from CULF. Number 10, Sam Coffey, put the ball in the back of the net in the 48th minute.
Clearly, the halftime team talk had motivated the players.
CULF’s number 11, Saira Fisher, showed incredible skill, taking advantage of every gap. She went for goal in the 54th minute, but the UWE keeper saved it comfortably—unfortunate, as the build-up play was outstanding.
In the 63rd minute, CULF took the lead when number 16, Erin Slade, struck the ball well to put the team ahead.
Six minutes later, CULF’s number 4, Siena Barada, scored the team’s third. UWE were crumbling, losing their composure, as CULF had them in their back pockets.
In the 73rd minute, captain Sophie Hauptmann played close to the corner and touchline, which aggravated UWE even more.
CULF’s number 18, Annabelle Simeonova, shoved UWE’s number 19, causing a heated moment; Annabelle was lucky to avoid a booking.
A soft and controversial penalty was given to UWE in the 90+3 minute, but despite that, the final score stood at 3-2 in CULF’s favour.
Post-match, I spoke to captain Sophie Hauptmann, who said: “I’m really ecstatic about how well the team played, especially since we were down 1-0 in the first half and came back to win 3-2.
Everyone played really well together, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how this new team continues to develop and improve throughout the season. Our ultimate goal is to win the league and get promoted.”
Many thanks to CULF captain Sophie Hauptmann and vice-captain Jenna-Marie Taylor King for having me. I wish all of the team the very best of luck this season!