On Sunday, Fulham Women took on Steyning Town in the Second Qualifying Round of the Women's FA Cup.
Emily Bird was given a first start of 2023/24, while Alex Hayman and Ava Huntrods returned to the squad having not featured since the first and second games of the season.
This was a high scoring fixture for Fulham, as we managed to put 16 goals past Steyning. Therefore, it is only fair to go through each goal scorer and how they contributed to the match.
Of the 16 goals, the first half saw seven attempts hit the back of the net.
Sasha Adamson was first to get off the mark, scoring a direct header in the seventh minute from Megalie Mendes' cross. Adamson went on to score Fulham's second goal of the game, chasing down a pass from Georgia Heasman and firing in from a tight angle. Later on in the first half, a high press led to Adamson getting herself a hat-trick.
Sophie Manzi was next to add her name to the scoring sheet when, in the 23rd minute Adamson drew two Steyning defenders in and played the ball back to an unmarked Manzi who did the rest.
Steyning Town were unfortunate to create our fourth goal, as Lilly Lambird's high press prompted an own goal.
Lambird was able to claim a goal for herself in the last remaining minutes of the game, as she stepped in front of a Steyning player to receive a pass from Heasman and sent it top right.
Heasman joined the score sheet in the 38th minute when she diverted Mendes' cross into the net.
A further nine goals were scored by Fulham in the second half.
Ede Buchele re-opened the floodgates in the 50th minute, receiving a well timed pass from Manzi before a turn and a shot made it 8-0. Buchele scored her second goal whilst positioned on the floor, flicking her rebounded shot away from the goalkeeper and into the net. Buchele's hat-trick came from Hayman using her pace to chase down the ball, switch the play back towards the Steyning goal and sending a cross in that reached Buchele's left foot and then the back of the net.
The second half saw Manzi give a five-star lesson in scoring goals. The turnaround time for Manzi's goals is something to be in awe of, arriving in a remarkable 13 minute spell, while each was scored in a different manor - header, half-volly, right foot, penalty, and left foot.
Adamson's last attempt hit the post and led to the final goal of the game, as a Styening defensive error saw the ball end up in the back of thier own net.
This sizeable win confirms Fulham's place in the Third Qualifying Round of the Women's FA Cup.
