Southampton and Portsmouth share spoils in goalless South Coast derby

Southampton and Portsmouth shared the spoils as they battled out a goalless draw in this evening’s Barclays Women’s Championship fixture at St Mary’s Stadium.

Neither side was able to find an all-important winning goal as the scores ended level in-front of an impressive crowd of 5,666 on the South Coast.

Portsmouth started brightly and their first chance came in the eighth minute when Ava Rowbotham’s cross found Emma Jones, but her close-range effort was saved by home keeper Fran Stenson.

Pompey threatened again in the 20th minute when Sophie Quirk found herself through on the left-hand side. Her cross found Sophie Barker but her goal attempt went wide.

Southampton’s best chance of the first half came in the 22nd minute when Georgia Mullett’s shot went wide of the post.

Following a frustrating opening 45 minutes, Portsmouth ramped up the pressure after the break with three successive corners. One of Megan Hornby’s deliveries was punched away by Stenson and the ball fell to Annie Rolf, who couldn’t direct her shot on target. 

At the other end, Hannah Poulter denied Rachel Rowe a chance of breaking the deadlock as The Saints increased the pressure in Pompey’s defensive third. Rowe’s opportunity was the home side’s best chance after the break.

In the 70th minute, Mullett found the back of the net but her effort was swiftly ruled out for offside. 

In the final 10 minutes, Stenson had to be alert to ensure that Southampton ended the game with a point. She denied Jones before making a crucial save at the death when one-on-one with Quirk.

Both sides return to Barclays Women’s Championship action next weekend. Southampton travel to Blackburn Rovers while Portsmouth go to Durham. 

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