Carlisle United Ladies fell to a 4-1 defeat on Sunday against GT7 Academy Ladies at Creighton.
United have started the season very positively on the road and have accumulated all of their 8 points away from home this season, but this hasn’t quite translated to their home form.
However, Carlisle knew that Sunday’s clash would grant them with no easy opportunity at claiming their first home points.
GT7 Ladies were clearly a team with experience and different from the teams that United have played so far this season, which had been full of youth.
Sunday’s game started with a real energy and both teams were going blow for blow in terms of looking to make their imprint on the scoreline.
United’s first real chance of the game came on 2 minutes, when an expertly placed ball from Murray sent Norman in on goal, but her touch was just too heavy and the GT7 keeper claimed the ball.
The visitors responded with a hammer-blow and put themselves in front on 10 minutes.
United’s Kendal-based opponents nearly doubled their lead just two minutes later, when they strook the post.
However, there was to be no mistake on 16 minutes when the visitors worked the ball nicely and left Best helpless in the United goal to make the score 2-0.
Carlisle are a team with a lot of heart though and these early setbacks didn’t affect the Ladies, who managed to put their imprint on the remainder of the first-half.
This was evident on 21 minutes, when exceptional work from Winter on the right wing saw her find enough space to cut the ball back to Galbraith, who made no mistake and dispatched the ball past the opposition 'keeper to reduce United’s deficit to one.
United threatened to level the score just 9 minutes later, when the ball found its way to Blaylock on the edge of the GT7 area but her shot just evaded the top corner.
GT7 responded quickly, and if it hadn’t had been for an impressive save from Best and a ridiculously brilliant goalline clearance from Beal, they would have restored their two-goal lead.
The Cumbrians responded with a huge chance of their own, the duo of Murray and Norman linked up again, but Norman’s shot clipped the outside of the post.
HALF-TIME: Carlisle United Ladies 1-2 GT7 Academy Ladies
Neither team managed to make much of an impact on the game in the early stages of the second-half.
United managed to keep the majority of the play in the GT7 half but couldn’t craft any real opportunities.
The Cumbrians couldn’t get the ball on the floor and play in the way that had served them so well in previous weeks.
The first real highlight of the second-half came on 78 minutes, when GT7 managed to take advantage of a tiring United defence and restore their two-goal lead.
United then went agonisingly close to making the last five minutes nervy for the visitors with Winter’s ambitious effort nearly catching the 'keeper out from distance but her shot sneaked just over the bar.
Carlisle, who were pushing to try and find a way back in the game, were then caught out on the break on 91 minutes, when GT7 added a fourth.
United will be disappointed with the result of Sunday’s clash but will know that minor tweaks will allow them to push up the table in coming weeks, with plenty of points to play for and not a lot between eighth and third place.
FULL-TIME: Carlisle United Ladies 1-4 GT7 Academy Ladies
United: Best, Blaylock, Beal, Nixon, Strutt, Norman, Murray, Johnson-Dodd, Winter, Riddet, Galbraith
Substitutes: Messenger, Cleasby, Kenyon
United goals: (21’ Galbraith)
POTM: Jade Beal - Sponsored by Dalston Pharmacy
