Crystal Palace Women secured a second consecutive victory in the Subway Players Cup, beating fellow WSL side Charlton Athletic 3-0 at the Borough Sports Ground. A much-changed Palace team produced an impressive display in South London to maintain its perfect record in the competition.
Shanade Hopcroft opened the scoring in the 22nd minute shortly after her recent call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad. The midfielder collected the ball after a corner, took a touch and struck from outside the box, with Charlton goalkeeper Anna Koivunen unable to keep the effort out despite getting a hand to it.
Charlton threatened after the interval, forcing Shae Yañez into several important saves in the Palace goal. Molly Bartrip also made a strong impact after coming on, while Palace continued to work hard defensively as the hosts looked for an equaliser.
The visitors doubled their advantage just after the hour mark. Abbie Larkin and Shannon O’Brien pressed effectively to win possession high up the pitch, allowing O’Brien to find space inside the area before her deflected shot beat Koivunen. O’Brien had also scored the decisive goal in Palace’s 1-0 win over Watford in the opening League Phase fixture.
Lexi Lloyd-Smith completed the scoring in the closing seconds, curling an effort from the left towards the far post. The ball evaded both the Charlton defence and goalkeeper to settle in the bottom corner, giving Lloyd-Smith her third goal in all competitions this season.
The result leaves Palace second in the Subway Players Cup League Phase, behind Manchester United only on goal difference. Potter’s side will next return to Birmingham to face Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday, 4 October, with kick-off scheduled for 14:00 BST.
