READING FC WOMEN fell to their second consecutive defeat to begin the new Women’s Super League season after Brighton & Hove Albion collected three points at the Amex Stadium.
Played in front of a crowd of more than 5,000 at Brighton’s home, Lee Guem-Min put the Seagulls in front five minutes before the break to give her team a deserved lead.
Despite a spirited second-half performance from Reading which was much improved from a shaky first-half, they were unable to find an equaliser despite testing Brighton’s defence on several occasions.
The hosts sealed the game in the 80th minute when they caught Reading on the counter attack and finished through Katie Robinson.
Charlie Wellings scored her first Royals goal late in the game but there was no time for Reading to muster a comeback.
Both teams entered the contest on the back of respective 4-0 defeats in their opening games of the new Women’s Super League season.
Brighton were beaten by expected title challengers Arsenal on the opening night of the campaign, while Reading lost out away at Manchester United.
Royals boss Kelly Chambers made four changes from their opening day defeat as Diane Caldwell came in for her Reading debut, while Tia Primmer, Faye Bryson and Natasha Dowie all made the starting eleven.
Reading were without Canadian forward Deanne Rose after she suffered an injury against United which is expected to keep her out on the sidelines for several months.
Royals debutant Caldwell was the first player carded after she flew into a crushing tackle which left Veatriki Sarri on the deck and needing treatment 10 minutes into the game.
Brighton had a couple of half chances before they produced the first clear cut chance of the game.
Royals goalkeeper Grace Moloney came to her side’s rescue with an excellent double save when she amended for Diane Caldwell’s short back pass and saved first from Katie Robinson before collecting Lee Geum-Min’s mishit rebound.
After Elisabeth Terland skipped away from two challenges, Caldwell got her body in the way to turn her shot behind for a corner.
Reading thought they had snatched the lead in the 28th minute when Rachel Rowe’s floated free kick in behind the Brighton defence was nodded in by Deanne Cooper, only for her to be denied by the offside flag.
Brighton went straight up the other end where Lee broke away and was denied by Moloney before the offside flag again was raised.
Moloney was again in the thick of the action when she came out bravely to grasp the ball from Terland and was taken out in the process which saw the Brighton player cautioned.
The Seagulls broke the deadlock five minutes before half-time to take a deserved lead when Lee latched onto a spill from Moloney and slotted the ball into the empty net.
Brighton went in search of a second before the break, but Reading ended the half positively with two corners that were eventually dealt with by the hosts.
With her team trailing, Chambers made a switch which saw Caldwell replaced by Lauren Wade.
Hope Powell’s team had two decent chances early on in the second-half.
Sarri smacked the ball over the bar from a tight angle before Terland was unable to adjust to Libby Bance’s pinpoint cross.
Reading’s best chance of the game came in the 52nd minute after Faye Bryson’s incisive pass found Primmer and she forced a save from Megan Walsh, the ball fell at the feet of Dowie with an empty net at her mercy, but she couldn’t adjust her feet quick enough to seize the chance.
Dowie got in behind the high Brighton defensive line, but Kayleigh Green got across to make a last ditch tackle to stop her having a one-on-one with the keeper.
An improved spell saw the Royals push hard for an equaliser as substitute Wade made an impact when she raced down the left and sent in a cross that just evaded two teammates in the middle.
Reading kept asking questions of the Brighton defence in a much improved second-half display when Cooper went close when she worked space for a shot but couldn’t keep her shot down.
Dowie’s last contribution of the match saw her come agonisingly close to grabbing an equaliser only for a small deflection on her shot sent the ball wide of the post.
Chambers’ next switch, with just over 20 minutes left to play, saw Dowie replaced by Charlie Wellings.
Continuing to have dominant spells of possession, Reading tried to work an opening on the right through Amalie Eikeland who couldn’t find a teammate with her cross.
Reading’s persistence was shot down when Brighton finished clinically with a counter attack to wrap up the game as Robinson tucked the ball into the corner after she was unselfishly played in by Lee.
Wellings tried to get Reading back into the contest, but Walsh made an exceptional save from close range to keep out her header.
Moloney made a fabulous save when she reacted quickly to get a hand to Terland’s shot to deny Brighton a third.
Wellings did get on the scoresheet deep into stoppage time when she arrowed the ball past Walsh with a powerful strike inside the box.
But there was no time for a dramatic late leveller as Brighton took the points.
Reading are bottom of the WSL with zero points after just two matches.
Reading now have two home games at the Select Car Leasing Stadium to look ahead to.
First they host Tottenham in the WSL Cup before they face Arsenal in the league.
Brighton: Walsh, Fox, Williams, Robinson, Pattison, Bance, Zigiotti, Lee, Sarri, Terland, Green
Subs: Park, Carter, Jarvis, Ferguson, Startup
Reading: Moloney, Cooper, Mukandi (c), Evans, Bryson, Woodham, Caldwell, Primmer, Rowe, Eikeland, Dowie
Subs: Wellings, Wade, Burns, Poulter, Meadows-Tuson, Troelsgaard
Goals: Lee 40’, Robinson 80’
