Fulham Women put seven past Enfield Town in a clinical display at a sunkissed Donkey Lane yesterday afternoon. Striker Sophie Manzi scored a hat-trick, while winger Georgia Heasman bagged a brace and Belle Taylor-Makepeace grabbed another goal during her impressive loan spell from Tottenham Hotspur.
Fulham looked the fresher of the two teams having had a week off and attacked with gusto from the off. They took the lead on thirteen minutes when a sumptuous ball from Manzi gave Heasman a first sight of goal and the forward needed no second invitation to wrong foot the Enfield goalkeeper and give the visitors the lead.
Manzi got herself on the scoresheet with an audacious finish a minute later from Fulham’s very next attack after beating her marker brilliantly and the former Dulwich striker had a big third in the third goal, which arrived within two more minutes. Manzi cracked an effort against the crossbar and Taylor-Makepeace was rewarded for her anticipation as drove in the rebound.
Manzi rolled home her second of the afternoon from the penalty spot midway through the first period, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way with a calmly taken spot kick. Fulham had further chances early in the second half when substitutes Mary Southgate and Tessa Allen combined but the latter’s shot flew fractionally over the crossbar. Madi Parsonson rifled home a fifth from the edge of the box to cap another all-action display – but the Cottagers weren’t satisfied.
Manzi fired over just after the hour mark as he sought her hat-trick but the formidable forward was not to be denied. She drove home after a mazy dribble from Ede Buchele culminated in an inch-perfect ball from the teenager to make it 6-0 with twenty minutes to play. Buchele played her part in the final goal of the afternoon as well – teeing up Heasman for her second strike six minutes later as Steve Jaye’s side recorded a resounding victory.
FULHAM FC WOMEN (3-4-3): Parker; Tagliavini, Beaver, Dale; Parsonson, Mendes, Barron-Clark, Lambird; Heasman, Taylor-Makepeace, Manzi. Subs: Allen, Southgate, Adamson, Buchele, Olds.
GOALS: Heasman (13, 76), Manzi (14, pen 23, 70), Taylor-Makepeace (16), Parsonson (53).
REFEREE: Dave Goater.
ATTENDANCE: 100.
