Kempson bags treble in cup victory
Sarah Kempson hit a hat-trick as Pompey Ladies thrashed Lowestoft 8-2 to reach the first round proper of the Premier League Cup.
It was a frantic opening to the tie at Privett Park, with half of the 10 goals arriving inside the first 23 minutes.
The hosts opened the scoring through Eilidh Currie’s close-range finish and Kempson twice missed good openings before doubling the advantage.
Lowestoft did not wave the white flag, however, and Gemma Moore reduced the deficit from the spot after Courtney Trodd rushed from her line and conceded a penalty.
The goals kept coming, with Emma Sherwood converting Currie’s cross before Broghan Scully pulled another one back for the battling visitors.
It was a breathless start to the game, but it soon settled down and there was only one more scorer before the interval, with Kempson neatly finishing from a Nadine Bazan pass.
And the Blues had to wait until just past the hour mark before putting the result beyond doubt in emphatic fashion.
Sherwood tapped home her second of the afternoon to complete a fine passing move, with Lowestoft struggling to clear their lines.
Kempson then secured the matchball moments later, courtesy of a fierce free-kick that Eilish Brogan could not quite keep out.
Currie added a seventh with a lob over Brogan after embarking on a surging run, while substitute Gemma Hillier wrapped things up in fine style with a shot from the edge of the box.
Blues boss Craig Taylor said: “It was a pleasing performance in parts, although we have identified areas that we still need to work on.
“I was happy with the work ethic and application of our players, as well as the fact that we’re through to the next round.
“Lowestoft were efficient and came here with a game-plan that meant we saw a lot of the ball throughout the afternoon.
“The important thing was that we needed to work it around with a bit of quality – and that’s exactly what we did in the second half.
“Sarah did very well to score her hat-trick and always seems to be in the right place at the right time, but a lot of players have come into the side and impressed.
“We’re not getting carried away, though, as we’ve got a lot of tough games coming up over the next few weeks.
“We need to stay focused and approach every game in the same professional manner in order to get the results that we all want.”
Pompey: Trodd, Benson, Bazan, Rutherford (Atkinson 81), Tonks (Taylor 65), Sievwright, Bloomfield (Hillier 46), Kempson, Currie, Stephens, Sherwood
Sub not used: Burns