Blues slip to league defeat
Pompey Ladies suffered successive league defeats for the first time this season, going down 1-0 to Lewes at Privett Park.
They were on the back foot from the start and Michelle Beazley was soon called into action to keep out Danielle Lane’s drive.
The hosts were struggling to carve out any clear-cut openings, although Molly Clark’s effort dipped narrowly wide.
And Lewes forged ahead on 38 minutes when Lane slipped a fine pass through to Tash Wells, who slotted the ball past Beazley.
The Blues came close to levelling just before the interval, but Charlie Carter was well-placed on the line to prevent Leeta Rutherford bundling home Clark’s corner.
They continued their push for a goal in the second half and Katie Burr did well to deal with a couple of wind-assisted free-kicks.
But Pompey did not really do enough to test the Lewes keeper, with Clark and Shannon Sievwright both failing to find the target.
Blues boss Perry Northeast said: “It was a disappointing day for us overall. We lacked energy in the first half and our opponents pounced on that.
“I can’t really blame it on our previous defeat to Brighton because the girls had trained really well during the week.
“We came out a lot stronger after the break, played with more purpose and were really in the ascendency.
“But we were still lacking quality in the final third. If we’d have got one against a stubborn defence then we might have got more, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.
“One bright spot to take from the game was the performance of Sharna Capel-Watson, who made her debut at the age of just 16.
“She adapted very well after coming off the bench and it certainly didn’t look like it was her first game for the senior side.”
Pompey: Beazley; Benson (Capel-Watson 48), Rutherford, Taylor, Bazan; Sievwright, Clark, Jeal (Bloomfield 67); Kempson (Sherwood 56), Hillier, Quinn
Subs not used: Trodd, Stephens
Pompey Ladies will try to retain the Hampshire Cup when they face Basingstoke in the final at Westleigh Park on Wednesday (7.45pm kick-off).
Northeast said: “It’s a competition we’ve always done well in and hopefully we can lift some silverware to put a smile back on everyone’s face.”