Pre-season triumph for Pompey
Pompey Ladies started their pre-season campaign with a 4-2 victory at Maidenhead last Sunday.
The visitors broke the deadlock after just five minutes when Leeta Rutherford laid the ball off for Becky Hunt to smash home from 25 yards.
Maidenhead struggled to gain possession as the Blues impressed with their neat passing game.
And the lead was doubled on 12 minutes when the impressive Gemma Simmonds found the feet of Charley Wilson, who beat her marker and rolled the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper.
But the hosts reduced the deficit moments later after Pompey’s wall were caught napping from a free-kick, allowing an opposition striker to nip in and beat Sadie Blakely.
The game then turned a bit stale, but Gemma Hillier’s trickery brought it back a life. Her quick feet drew a foul inside the box and Leeta Rutherford calmly stroked home the spot-kick.
And Pompey scored a fourth just before the break when another pin-point pass from Simmonds found Hillier, who controlled the ball with her chest and volleyed into the top corner.
The Blues made changes at the break and started the second half brightly, but Maidenhead pulled a goal back on 55 minutes, despite Blakely saving the initial shot.
Substitute keeper Rhia Cox made sure they did not get another, though, making a fine reaction save from point-blank range.