Women's Report: Saints 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Southampton FC Women maintained their unbeaten start to the season, but had to settle for a third consecutive draw in the Barclays Women's Super League 2.
After a stalemate in the first half, Freya Jupp fired Saints into the lead with her first goal for the club - her first in senior football as well - as she outmuscled two defenders before finding the bottom corner.
However, the visitors responded late on and Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah's well-taken equaliser ensured the spoils were shared.
In front of a vocal, 2,418-strong crowd on Saints' return to St Mary's, an unchanged side started once again for their fourth game of the season.
Simon Parker's side kept Forest at arms length in the opening stages but found themselves restricted to limited chances as well; Mary Bashford's low sighter rolled wide for the game's first attempt in a tight opening 15 minutes.
Saints' starters on their return to St Mary's Stadium. (Photos: Chris Moorhouse)
A big block from Milly Mott kept the visitors out with their first chance on goal, after Tove Almqvist and Tuva Espas had exchanged passes neatly, but Saints' defender slid in with a vital block to deny Almqvist inside the area.
From the resulting corner, Forest captain Georgia Brougham's flicked header dropped just wide with the closest opportunity of the half so far.
Just after the half hour mark, Saints had wrestled back momentum and came close from a corner of their own but Amy Goddard's connection was cleared away.
With Chloe Peplow pulling the strings in midfield, Saints continued their search for an opener before the break and a free-kick in a presentable area saw Libbi McInnes come close, but her attempt at a low shot hit the wall.
Saints were closest to breaking the first half deadlock in stoppage time as a deep Peplow free-kick was nodded across the penalty area by Megan Collett into a crowded area, before Bashford connected with the loose ball but saw her shop impressively cleared off the line by Cerys Brown.
Rachel Brown fired over on the stretch from the following corner, as the half ended goalless
Into the second half and early attempts flew wide for both sides from Freya Jupp and Abbie Lafayette, with neither side able to get a stranglehold on the contest.
A moment of skill from Almqvist from a short corner gave Forest a lift, as the Swedish winger turned past Bashford at the byline but her shot hit the side netting.
The pendulum then swung back in Saints' favour, and a great team move, which started with Grace Moloney in goal, ended in a close chance for Jupp to open the scoring; Moloney's deft chip into the channel found Ellie Brazil, who linked up neatly with Libbi McInnes on halfway before sending a ball through to Jupp, who cut inside but her low shot was saved.
McInnes threaded another pass through the lines moments later as Collett broke past the defence, but Forest goalkeeper Katie Cox rushed out well to deny the full-back.
The deadlock was eventually broken just past the hour mark, as Jupp got her rewards for another tireless shift. Saints' striker chased down another McInnes pass and powered her way past two defenders, before shifting her feet well to angle her shot into the bottom corner.
Freya Jupp celebrates her goal.
Moloney was called upon again as Saints had a lead to preserve, and the Irish international showed her class with a strong one-on-one save at an angle to keep out Tuva Espas.
However, the Saints resistance was cruelly broken with eight minutes to play when Boye-Hlorkah broke free and picked out the bottom left corner with a low shot from the edge of the area.
Tensions flared in the final moments as both sides pressed for a late winner but, after a high and wayward attempy from Boye-Hlorkah in stoppage time, the points were shared.
Both sides remain unbeaten at the start of the WSL2 season, as Saints gear up for two more matches in the next seven days as they kick off their Subway Players Cup campaign before travelling to Bristol City next Sunday.
Saints: Moloney, Collett (c), Goddard, Mott, Brown (Murphy 75'), Peplow (Hack 80'), Bashford, McInnes, Ferguson (Harries 75'), Brazil, Jupp (Edwards 90').
Subs not used: Santos, Rae, Tucker, Archibald.
Goals: Jupp (63')
Nottingham Forest: Cox, Brown, Lafayette, Brougham (c), Mustaki, Boye-Hlorkah, Almqvist (McKenna 63'), Coan, Thomas, Espas (Shooter 75'), Murphy.
Subs not used: Batty, Rose, Johnson, Hed, Rowe, Walta, McEwan.
Goals: Boye-Hlorkah (82')
Yellow cards: Lafayette (37'), Brougham (54'), Espas (70'), Boye-Hlorkah (84'), Murphy (88').
Attendance: 2,418.
