Asia opens account as Luton Ladies beat Cambridge

Defender Asia Brown scored her first goal for the Hatters as they beat local rivals Cambridge United 4-2 on Sunday, writes Rosie Bonass
Asia Brown.Asia Brown.
Asia Brown.

Joanne Rutherford scored her 11th goal of the season for Town before Emma Jenkins equalised for the Yellows just before half time.

Young striker Jodie Bellinger came off the bench to fire Luton ahead once more before Erica Byron and Asia Brown extended the lead.

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United, second in the league, then scored on the stroke of full time through Evie Gallop.

The Hatters are now equal on points with Old Actonians Ladies in fifth with a game in hand against Norwich City.

Town created some early chances as Byron delivered an exquisite ball into the box to Rutherford who miskicked from six yards.

Moments later, Lucy Webster went on a dangerous run and her tricky feet got her past three United players before her strike from an acute angle hit the side netting.

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At the other end Jess Devoti superbly stopped a free header from Becky Taylor and then pushed behind a testing strike from Gallop.

Rutherford gave Town a well-earned lead in the 37th minute as she latched on to a short back pass and slotted the ball past goalkeeper Verity Crook into an empty net.

Four minutes later, United equalised after Jenkins fired the ball into the roof of the net from distance.

Cambridge hit the woodwork immediately after the break. But Town regained the lead in the 52nd minute after Rutherford delivered a terrific ball into the box that substitute Bellinger headed in at the far post.

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Three minutes later Byron made it 3-1 to Town after Carrie Bennett failed to clear and Byron took advantage of her defensive error and fired it into the back of the net.

Brown extended the advantage in the 88th minute after some good build up play on the wing by Rachel Kosky led to Brown scoring her first goal in a Hatters shirt as she curled the ball into the top left corner.

United scored their second of the game just before the full-time whistle as Gallop chested it in from close range.

Manager Nikki Baker said: “Cambridge are above us in the league and beat us last time around so to score four and beat them in the way we did was outstanding.

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“We have taken points off all of the top four. It is disappointing that we threw away a couple of silly games otherwise we really could have been right up there”.

The Hatters face Lowestoft Town next in the league on Sunday.