Pompey Ladies progressed to the second round of the Premier League Cup with a 3-1 derby victory at Southampton.
They broke the deadlock after just 13 minutes, with some nice build-up play leading to a stunning finish from Gemma Hillier.
Shannon Albuery then came close to doubling the lead, turning her marker before grazing the post with a low shot.
But the striker did find the target midway through the first half after being picked out in the box by Nadine Bazan.
The hosts found a route back into the contest following the interval, however, with a powerful effort from Laura Vokes reducing their deficit.
But it was still Pompey looking more likely to add to the scoring and Natasha Stephens saw a shot saved, while a scramble in Southampton’s box almost led to an own-goal.
And they did wrap things up just past the hour mark when Stephens – making her 50th appearance for the club – arrived at the far post to convert Katie James’ corner.
Blues boss Jay Sadler told the club's official YouTube channel: “I’m really pleased with the result and that we’ve gone through to the next round of the competition.
"We moved the ball around and looked the dominant team early on."
“We moved the ball around and looked the dominant team early on – we could have been three or four up by half-time.
“But we switched off to concede a sloppy goal and then had to show plenty of spirit, resilience and fight.
“I trust my players and whatever 11 I put out, I would still expect a performance from them. Those girls that came into the team impressed.
“We’ve got a squad of 21 and I believe in them. I love working with them and I genuinely believe that we can do exciting things.”
Pompey: Levett; Kirby, Widdowson (Peck 54), Currie, Bazan (c) (Perkins 58); James, Boswell, Sievwright (Clark 58), Stephens; Hillier, Albuery
Subs not used: Barron, Panting