On 21st October, Cardiff University Women’s Football faced Exeter University in matchday two of the BUCS Western Tier 1 campaign.
A cold and windy Wednesday afternoon, Cardiff arrived at Llanrumney with a point to prove. Following a disappointing 2-1 loss away to Gloucestershire in their season opener, the hosts looked to bounce back and take their first three-point haul of the season. However, this would be no easy feat, with Cardiff facing an Exeter side who had run riot in their season opener, thrashing University of South Wales 13-0.
From the first whistle, Cardiff dominated the early phases. Led by captain Jemima Lister, the hosts moved the ball with confidence, spraying passes across the pitch and sending runners darting into wide areas to keep Exeter on the back foot.
Yet for all Cardiff’s control, clear chances were hard to come by. Exeter’s defence stood firm, showing no sign of cracking under the pressure, and a handful of speculative Cardiff efforts from distance did little to trouble their goalkeeper.
As the half carried on, perhaps frustrated by Exeter’s staunch defence, Cardiff heads began to drop, and mistakes began to creep in. This would be exemplified when, with less than five minutes of the half to go, a long ball over the top of the Cardiff defence was not dealt with properly, and the chasing Exeter striker was brought down.
Penalty, Exeter.
The spot-kick was converted and seemingly out of nowhere, Cardiff found themselves 1-0 down – a scoreline far from reflective of the match.
The halftime whistle blew shortly after, and the Cardiff players looked on with disbelief. After such a dominant half, how could they find themselves behind? What more could they do to find an equaliser?
The second half began, and it was immediately clear that whatever had been said at the break had worked. Cardiff looked back to their best, playing silky, fluid football from the off.
This sharp start seemed certain to pay dividends when the hosts broke clear and found themselves one-on-one with the Exeter goalkeeper, but the chance went begging. Just ten minutes later, however, Cardiff found themselves bearing down on the goal again, yet still they could not find the target.
It was beginning to look like this would not be Cardiff’s day, compounded further shortly after, when a looping shot rattled the crossbar.
Nevertheless, despite these near misses, Cardiff heads did not drop and very shortly, their persistence would pay off. After some neat play on the edge of the Exeter box, Cardiff’s Jess Thomas slotted home an equaliser.
Very little time remained on the clock. Could Cardiff find a late winner?
From the restart, Cardiff pressed relentlessly, barely allowing Exeter time to breathe. The hosts forced a near-immediate turnover and were soon bearing down on goal again, only for the shot to be dragged just wide of the post.
Cardiff’s final chance had slipped away.
The full-time whistle left both sides scratching their heads: Cardiff wondering how victory had slipped through their fingers, Exeter marvelling that they had held on.
Speaking to Gair Rhydd after the game, Cardiff Head Coach, Liam Bell Gutierrez, praised his team’s performance, yet, was left in “disbelief” after such a dominant performance.
“It feels like two dropped (points) even though we scored in the last minute,” he said. Looking ahead, he stayed upbeat. “We need to remain positive, and we’ll just take it into next week.”
Cardiff take on University of South Wales in their next match on 4th November; a match they will hope to win and take their first three points of the season.