SWPL Team of the Week – 1st October

Team of the Week from Sky Sports Cup 2nd Round games played on Sunday 1st October.

Written by Jack Donnelly

Goalkeeper – Lauren Perry (Montrose)

In what was a bit of an upset, Montrose progressed to the quarter-finals of the Sky Sports Cup with an impressive 3-0 win over Motherwell, with goalkeeper Lauren Perry made to work for The Mo’s victory. The stopper faced six shots on target, including a first-half penalty while the game was still goalless, and came up trumps on every occasion to record a shutout and steer her side into the hat.

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Defender – Poppy Lawson (Hibernian)

After surviving a slight scare by going 2-1 down to Aberdeen at home, Hibernian progressed to the quarter-finals of the Sky Sports Cup with a 6-2 win, with one of the Hibees’ highlights being a brace from Poppy Lawson. The young defender closed out both halves by finding the back of the net, levelling the tie before the break to galvanise her teammates ahead of their second-half comeback, while also making seven interceptions and 11 recoveries in the meantime.

Defender – Mia McAuley (Rangers)

An assured performance saw Rangers run out 4-1 winners away in Edinburgh against Hearts, as Mia McAulay continued her fantastic run of performances with another standout. The teenage wingback notched another goal, whipping a curled effort into the top right corner, and was near-perfect with her passing, misplacing just three throughout the 90 minutes.

Defender – Beth MacLeod (Boroughmuir Thistle)

A seven-goal thriller played out at Meggetland over the weekend, with Boroughmuir Thistle running out as eventual winners in the 89th minute, with wingback Beth MacLeod contributing to two of Thistle’s four goals. After assisting Fiona Gibson’s goal to put Thistle back in front just after half time, the 26-year-old got on the scoresheet herself, racing past the back line and blasting the ball past Lauren MacGregor to put her side two to the good. MacLeod also won 15 duels in a battling performance up the left flank.

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Midfielder – Lisa Forrest (Glasgow City)

One of two Glasgow City representatives in this week’s team, young winger Lisa Forrest continued in her rich vein of form with a fantastic attacking performance against St. Johnstone. Scoring twice, the 17-year-old also picked up a couple of assists, registered a 78% pass accuracy, completed nine successful dribbles, and won 15 duels in a rampant display against the SWPL 2 side.

Midfielder – Linzi Taylor (Partick Thistle)

After a couple of tough league outings, Brian Graham’s side returned to winning ways and booked their ticket into the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Spartans, with Linzi Taylor at the heart of Partick Thistle’s success. The midfielder was involved in both goals – after delivering a free kick that Cara Henderson headed home, Taylor doubled Thistle’s advantage with a goal of her own, heading past Alicia Yates after just nine second-half minutes.

Midfielder – Nour Imane Addi (Celtic)

In her first full 90 minutes of the season, Nour Imane Addi will have certainly caught Fran Alonso’s attention with her performance in Celtic’s 6-0 win over Hamilton. The Moroccan internationalist sent a lovely effort into the top right corner 10 minutes into the second half and kept hold of the ball excellently with 15 successful dribbles, while also winning 25 duels from the middle of the park.

Midfielder & Star Player – Cori Sullivan (Glasgow City)

The top-flight champions ran rampant against St. Johnstone over the weekend, running out 11-1 winners on the day, with Cori Sullivan picking up the match ball with a four-goal haul. The winger, who wrapped up her hattrick 15 minutes into the second half, also supplied her side with an assist, and ran her opposing number ragged, completing eight out of nine attempted dribbles throughout the full 90 minutes.

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Forward – Rachel Todd (Dundee United)

The Terrors picked up their first win in four games as they put three goals past SWPL 2 side Kilmarnock to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Sky Sports Cup, with captain Rachel Todd firing her side into the next round. The striker opened the scoring after just seven first-half minutes, before doubling her tally by winning and converting a penalty seven minutes later, sending United well on their way to a victory away in Ayrshire.

Forward – Darcie Miller (Aberdeen)

Despite falling to an eventual 6-2 defeat against Hibernian, for a spell, Aberdeen lead Hibernian by two goals to one, thanks to young striker Darcie Miller. The 17-year-old scored both of the Dons’ goals at Meadowbank, latching onto a loose ball in the box and dispatching past Katie Fraine, before sweeping a first-time effort into the top left corner just two minutes later.

Forward – Abby Callaghan (Queen’s Park)

While Boroughmuir Thistle would run out as eventual winners in their ding-dong battle with Queen’s Park, Spiders forward Abby Callaghan twice gave her side an opportunity to take advantage of their opponents. After equalising just after half time with a low, first-time finish, Callaghan again brought the tie level in the 78th minute with a long looping drive from just inside the Thistle half, setting up a tense finale.