Rutherford and Quinn on target at Brighton
Pompey Ladies came from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 and move above the Seagulls in the Premier League Southern Division table.
They made a poor start, falling behind inside the opening five minutes at the Withdean Stadium.
But the Blues were soon level, with Leeta Rutherford spotting the keeper off her line and producing a fine finish from 25 yards.
And the winner arrived midway through the first half when Lucy Quinn (pictured) converted Jess Frampton cross with a thumping header.
Sadie Blakely and the Pompey back-line then stood firm to stop Brighton getting something from the game.
Joint Blues boss Perry Northeast said: “We’ve been encouraging all the players to take a few more shots on goal and that paid off with Leeta’s strike.
“Then, for the second, Jess put a fantastic cross into the box and Lucy stole in at the back post.
“She’s not renowned for her heading ability, so she might have surprised herself a bit. She timed her run really well.
“Then we had to withstand quite a bit of pressure. Brighton won quite a lot of corners and that tested us, but Sadie and the defenders coped with everything.
“It was a great all-round team performance away from home and the league table is looking a lot better.
“If we’re really up for it was can catch Gillingham and challenge at the top. That looked very distant about a month ago.”
Pompey: Blakely; Taylor, Murphy, McMillan, Frampton; Bloomfield, Rutherford, Simmonds, Quinn (Kempson 54); Hillier (c) (Bazan 78), Wilson
Subs not used: Russell, Hunt