Bristol Rovers Women claimed a brilliant 2-0 victory over Marine Academy Plymouth in the FAWNL Cup on Sunday afternoon, with Laura Barrett and captain Rianne Bourne-Hallett both finding the net in a dominant second-half display.
The Gas started brightly and looked dangerous going forward. Meg Jarvis was close to opening the scoring inside ten minutes, almost reaching a Chloe Gilroy cross before the MAP keeper gathered. At the other end, George Hunt was called into action, getting her body behind a long-range strike to keep things level.
An early setback came when Charlotte Buxton picked up an injury and was forced off, replaced by Maisy Collis. Despite the change, Rovers continued to push on and Jarvis came close again just before the break, turning her defender smartly before firing narrowly wide. The sides went in all square at 0–0.
After the restart, the Gas really stepped it up. Within a minute, Nia Rees created a chance for Jarvis, who went just past the post. George Hunt then produced another superb save to deny MAP down the right-hand side, showing her sharp reactions once again.
With fresh legs introduced around the hour mark, Rovers’ pressure finally paid off. Annys Turner delivered a pinpoint corner and Laura rose highest to head home, giving the Gas a deserved lead and sparking celebrations from the home support.
The momentum was firmly with Rovers and just ten minutes later came a captain’s moment. After some excellent work from Chloe Bassett, the ball fell to Rianne who cut inside onto her left foot and curled a stunning strike into the far corner. A true skipper’s finish to make it 2–0.
From there, the Gas managed the game superbly. MAP pushed to get back into it, but the backline stood firm and George Hunt remained assured between the sticks. Late on, Maisy Collis tested the MAP keeper with a fierce strike, but Rovers saw out the contest in style.
A strong performance, key contributions from the bench, and goals from Laura and Rianne sealed all three points in the FAWNL Cup for the Gas.
