Support quality, independent, local journalism…that matters

From just £1 a month you can help fund our work – and use our website without adverts. Become a member today

Cascade Ladies suffered their first loss of the season as Swansea University Ladies came from behind to win 3-2 on a wet evening at the Centre for Sporting Excellence.

The Adran Trophy group stage match was played on Thursday September 28 and saw Cascade take an early lead through Hannah Moger before losing captain Katie Davies after she picked-up her second yellow card.

Swansea stepped-up and scored three quick goals through Lauren Baker, Hannah Pinney, and Angelika Barris to take the game away from the hosts.

A late goal from Annaliese Lewis wasn’t enough to salvage a point, with Cascade disappointed to let that one slip away from them.

Kick-off

Much like the rest of the match, the game kicked-off with the rain hammering down on the players, making conditions challenging to say the least.

There was some early pressure from the visitors. Captain Charley Haynes had the first shot from the edge of the box, but her effort drifted comfortably over the bar.

Neither side had much control of the ball after ten minutes, which was to be expected given the zip on the pitch making it tough to get hold of.

It was clear early on that Annaliese Lewis was the biggest threat going forward for Cascade. She often dropped back to pick the ball up throughout the game and had half a chance after 15 minutes when her shot was saved.

Another player to note for the hosts was Daisy Evan-Watkins at the back. She controlled the backline well and came into midfield to link play after the initial first pass.

The first big chance of the game fell for Molly Chapman of Cascade. She received the ball from the left but let it run across her body for a second too long.

Chapman ended up scooping the ball from the right of the box to the hands of goalkeeper Isabelle Platten.

The hosts were generally winning the midfield battle, Erin Parry was particularly tenacious in the tackle, getting the crowd who managed to brave the weather something to cheer about.

There was a real piece of quality from Lewis after 30 minutes played. She took the ball down on her chest in midfield and dinked a lovely ball in behind for Chapman who found herself one-on-one with the keeper. Her effort was a tame one, however.

A few minutes later and the breakthrough finally came for Cascade. A corner from Lauren Boyd missed everyone at the near post and was anticipated superbly by Hannah Moger who headed home from close range. 1-0.

It would have been easy for Swansea to fold after that goal, having not really been in the game yet, but to their credit they almost pulled one back immediately from the restart.

Striker Hannah Pinney was through on goal but couldn’t get a shot off and lost her footing in the rain. A let off for the hosts.

The visitors also had claims to a penalty with half time approaching. A cross from the right could have found Freya Sullivan but she was in the back of the Cascade net, with the coaches claiming she was pushed. Nothing given by referee Rhys Evans however.

The rain got so bad that chipping the ball in behind and letting it stop in the thin layer of standing water was an option both teams were exploring.

They’d have been thankful to hear the half-time whistle and dry off before doing it all over again.

Second-half

Despite the conditions, Cascade continued to play out from the back, and were doing so comfortably. A good move from back to front eventually came to captain Katie Davies on the edge of the Swansea area. She couldn’t finish but the football was pleasing on the eye.

The game flipped on its head a few moments later however, with Davies involved for all the wrong reasons this time.

After picking up a yellow in the first half, she blocked a runner in midfield after 55 minutes and forced Evans to reach for a second yellow. A huge blow for the hosts.

That red livened the game right up. Both sides knew how crucial the next goal would be, barking orders at each other from all over the field.

There was a brief moment of comedy to alleviate the pressure, when the rain got so bad that Evans had to take refuge in the dugout to write in his notebook.

An hour played and Cascade still looked good money for the win. They remained calm and weathered the initial tricky period.

That all went out of the window after 65 minutes however when playing out from the back cost them.

The ball was intercepted on the edge of the box by Swansea fullback Angelika Barris who slipped-in substitute Lauren Baker. Baker made no mistake and finished past Chrissy Kidley.

A few minutes later and things went from bad to worse for the hosts. More trouble at the back with the ball ending up at the feet of Freya Davies. She played a square ball to Pinney who finally got her goal. 2-1 with the game at risk of becoming out of reach.

Cascade were pushing desperately now to grab an equaliser. That meant leaving spaces in behind for Swansea to exploit.

The hosts couldn’t find anything however, and Swansea punished them with a third after 76 minutes.

Not much Cascade could have done about this one. Freya Davies grabbed her second assist as Barris scored a brilliant goal from the edge of the area, her curling effort nestled well out of reach into the bottom right corner.

Cascade looked deflated now. That red card had completely flipped the game.

Out of nowhere though, the hosts pulled one back through Lewis. Another set piece, Boyd again taking the corner.

A really good header from Lewis who found the top corner with her effort. Game on with ten to go.

Things were frantic now. Both sides asking how long was left for different reasons.

Cascade couldn’t salvage a point however and the match ended 3-2 to Swansea.

A very entertaining tie with some good football on display despite the awful conditions.

That loss doesn’t change much for Cascade, who remain second in the Adran Trophy Group Three. Only the top two will progress to the next round after playing each other twice.