Latest news with #WomensSuperLeague
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Women's Super League round-up: Wigan Power on
Wigan Warriors secured their first-ever home win over Leeds Rhinos to restore their three-point lead at the top of Women's Super Australian Power sisters got the home side off to a quick start at Robin Park Arena, with Tiana scoring a try in the opening minute and Queensland State of Origin star Shaniah adding a second to rock the pushed hard to get into the game but Wigan, still unbeaten this season, soaked it up and then forged further ahead through tries from Molly Jones and Mia-Jayne Atherton before Lucy Murray's try gave Rhinos a toehold in the game before half Eva Hunter established herself as the competition's leading try-scorer with her 13th of the season and teammate Grace Banks sped away for her 12th of the campaign to make sure of the result, with Isobel Rowe adding three conversions before late Izzy Northrop and Bethan Dainton tries made the final score 30-16. Leeds retain a three-point cushion in the hunt for top four play-off places despite defeat, as Huddersfield Giants lost at York Valkyrie despite a valiant from Emma Kershaw, Agnes Wood and Ellie Williamson and a Jas Bell conversion had seemingly put the home side in control at the LNER Community Stadium, but Eva Izumi's try and Sam Hulme's extras put Giants right back in the game before half-time.A fiercely-contested second half intensified as York's Rhiannion Marshall was sin-binned five minutes after going on as an interchange, but York held tight and then made sure with late tries from Peace Lekuru and Bell, with Marshall nailing both kicks to make it Helens' scheduled trip to Warrington Wolves was forfeited by the home side, who cited player availability issues, the game being awarded 48-0 to Saints to keep them in second RFL Board will decide whether Wolves, who had lost their previous eight games, will face further Stewart celebrated her call-up to the Scotland squad for the nation's historic first-ever Test match next week, against Wales, by scoring two tries and converting both for Barrow Raiders against Leigh Stewart powered over in the opening minute and after tries from Mackenzie Taylor and Kate Howard and Charlotte Melvin's conversion had edged the Leopardesses ahead, Stewart struck with six more points before Vanessa Temple rounded off a 16-10 win which sees Raiders leapfrog their opponents into sixth place.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bristol City confirm Napier departure
Bristol City have announced the news that full-back Jamie-Lee Napier has left the club. The Robins revealed the news via a post on their official club website this morning. The 25-year-old Scotland international was out of contract at Ashton Gate this summer and an extension to her deal was not agreed. Napier joined Bristol City in summer 2023 ahead of the club's Barclays Women's Super League return. She featured heavily for The Robins in the top flight but could not help the club to avoid an immediate return to Barclays WSL2. Napier continued to be a regular starter for Bristol City last term. She was handed the captain's armband in her second season at Ashton Gate. Commenting on her departure, Napier said 'Firstly, I would like to thank everyone at the club for the last few years and for making me feel so welcome from day one. 'To my teammates and staff, thank you for some of the most amazing times and for all the support you have given me during my time here. I leave with friendships and memories for life and for that I'm very grateful. 'One of my proudest moments in a City shirt was leading this team out at Ashton Gate in-front of this amazing city and you incredible fans. 'It wouldn't have been the same without you Robins fans, you made playing for this club extra special, so thank you from the bottom of my heart. 'I wish this club all the best moving forward.' Napier is the sixth player to have left Bristol City since the end of last season. Jesse Woolley, Jasmine Bull, Amalie Thestrup, Ffion Morgan and Amy Rodgers have also moved on this summer.
BBC News
20-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Wigan go back top & York thrash Barrow
Wigan Warriors returned to the top of Women's Super League with an 80-0 demolition of bottom side York Valkyrie thrashed Barrow Raiders 58-0 for a fifth straight win to move level on points with St Helens who dropped from the summit to Tiana and Shaniah Power both crossed inside five minutes for unbeaten Wigan before a Cerys Jones double and scores from Georgia Wilson, Mia Atherton and Tiana Power's second put the leaders out of sight by Power and Jones completed hat-tricks after Megan Williams crossed to take the Warriors past 50 points before Australian centre Power added her fourth. Tries from Eva Hunter, Remi Wilton, and Kaitlin Hilton capped a 14-try Rowe added 12 goals from 14 attempts as Wigan made it 156 points without reply from their past two WSL champions in the last two seasons, were made to work hard by second-bottom Barrow in the first half, building a 16-0 half-time lead thanks to Savannah Andrade, Lisa Parker and Emma Kershaw the floodgates opened after the break as Peace Lekuru scored her first WSL tries with a hat-trick. Zoe Hornby, Emma Kershaw, Tara Moxon, Evie Sexton, Eboni Partington and Andrade also crossed as the Raiders shipped nine second-half tries.
BBC News
19-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
How Kelly's happiness saved England's Euros
When late substitute Chloe Kelly saved England's Euros defence in 103 seconds against Sweden on Thursday night, it proved two how good the 27-year-old is on the pitch. And secondly, how important her happiness is off the who only follow the Lionesses at major tournaments may be unaware of how close the woman who scored the winner in the Euro 2022 final was to not being cast in the sequel three years later. In the first England squad of 2025, Kelly was not selected amid a crisis at club return is the perfect example of how when a player is happy off the field, they thrive on February, Sarina Wiegman left Kelly out of her squad for Nations League games against Portugal and Spain. At the time, she had not played any football since mid-December, having made just one Women's Super League start in the first half of 2024-25. Kelly fell out of favour at former club Manchester City under ex-manager Gareth Taylor. She secured a loan to childhood team Arsenal, having posted emotional messages to social media saying she "wanted to be happy again" and accusing City of planting negative stories about her in the media., externalShe was eventually selected for the February squad when Beth Mead dropped out, and 13 appearances for Arsenal in the back half of the campaign - including starting the Gunners' Champions League final triumph over Barcelona - was enough to earn her place at Euro 2025. She has since joined Arsenal on a permanent Wiegman had not brought Kelly back England would now be out of the Euros, after she made the difference against Karen Bardsley said in 5 Live's quarter-final commentary: "England have to keep going and keep getting the ball to Chloe Kelly."Team-mate Esme Morgan was effusive in her praise following Kelly's decisive performance."She's been training amazingly in the last few days," Morgan, Kelly's former Man City club-mate, told BBC Sport. "So she was high on confidence coming into that game."She seems to thrive on those moments when the team needs her to pull a performance out of the bag. She was just incredible when she came on." 'Chloe and her husband' changed the quarter-final Kelly has spoken about Arsenal putting a "smile back on my face", and that - perhaps as much as her obvious talent - is so important to her as a is close to her family, as the youngest of seven siblings with five older brothers who gave her a tough football education in the five-a-side cages of husband Scott Moore is also a huge presence, as demonstrated by the instantly iconic shin pads Kelly wore against Sweden that featured a picture of the couple kissing on their 2024 wedding day on one, and their pet dogs on the BBC One commentator Robyn Cowen quipped on Thursday night in Zurich: "This game has completely changed since Chloe and her husband came on to the pitch."The happiness and support which drives Kelly also comes from the England squad, in particular the band of 'super subs' who have played an essential role for the Lionesses ever since Wiegman took is infamous for being stubborn in her starting XI selection - the same side started all seven matches at Euro 2022, and there has only been one alteration across four matches in means benched players like Kelly must accept their role - and it is something she has done with relish. Kelly has made 10 sub appearances in Women's Euros matches, the joint most in the history of the competition. She has not yet started a game at Euro 2025 and has played only 126 minutes total - but in that time, has created six chances and provided six successful include England's two goals versus Sweden. She came off the bench in the 76th minute, and the goals arrived on minutes 78 and 80. Four minutes, two goals - saved of course, it was off the bench from where she scored the most important goal in Lionesses history - extra time at Wembley against Germany, poked home from close range, shirt whirling above her head in this has led to a clamour in some quarters for Kelly to start against Italy in the semis-finals - she topped the BBC audience ratings against Sweden, with 8.48 out of 10 - but that is not her role. 'This is a positive clique' Kelly is one of England's "finishers" alongside regular subs like Beth Mead, Aggie Beever-Jones and Michelle Agyemang. She told a news conference at Euro 2025 that they have formed a "positive clique", with their own finger clicking says Maya le Tissier - who has not played a single minute in Switzerland - came up with the idea."We work really hard on the training pitch, in the gym, making sure we're prepared when we go on to the pitch and we have a great group of girls, so it's about enjoying the whole experience as a group," Kelly said."We're good people that support each other every day. We support each other very well as a 23, that's what it takes to win a tournament. In football sometimes cliques are negative, but this is a positive clique.""No matter how bad England were in that first half, you always know England have got goalscorers in that side," former Lionesses keeper Siobhan Chamberlain told 5 Live. "You know if they get their moment, England can get back into the game."All that positivity gave Kelly the confidence to turn the quarter-final around, right down to her penalty in that bizarre shootout. As all around lost their heads, she kept hers with a trademark hop, skip and a jump in her run-up to might not start for England, but she is Mrs Reliable in shootouts. She scored the winning penalty versus Nigeria at the 2023 World Cup and Brazil in the is happy, unbothered, and empowered to save her country, and more importantly her team-mates, whenever they need her."I didn't feel under pressure, I just wanted to create some goals for the girls and do my best," she told BBC Sport after the Sweden win."I think there are times against a top team where you are struggling a little bit, I think that's football. It's about sticking together in those moments; it's riding the storm together and knowing we've got resilient moments and can bounce back from anything."
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Everton make Fernandez loan permanent
Everton have completed the permanent signing of Spanish defender Martina Fernandez from Barcelona for an undisclosed 20, joined the Toffees on loan in January and was named the club's young player of the season for 2024-25 by manager Brian Sorensen and his coaching Spain Under-23s international played every minute of the 12 Women's Super League matches she was available for, helping Everton to eighth place."I'm so happy," Fernandez told evertontv. "The past five months were amazing because of everyone: the girls, the fans – everyone. So I couldn't say no at the chance to come back."The girls in this team are so nice. The people in the city of Liverpool are amazing, I love the culture. It was so easy for me to feel at home here."I have a lot of friends here and I think that was so important because I truly feel at home."Sorensen said: "Signing Martina on a permanent deal was one of our priorities this summer so we are delighted to have her back at Everton."Despite her young age, she is a real leader and I admire the way she plays football and wants to improve."She is aggressive and strong, yet has a calmness to her passing and decision-making."Fernandez is Everton's seventh signing of the summer, following compatriots Ornella Vignola and Inma Gabarro.
