Oxford United completed a league double over Ipswich Town Women at the Goldstar Ground this afternoon, beating the Tractor Girls 1-0 thanks to a late Merrick Will goal.
Town manager Joe Sheehan made three changes to the side that had beaten London Bees 3-0 the previous weekend with Zoe Barratt, Summer Hughes and Olivia Smith coming into the side for Maria Boswell, Sarah Brasero-Carreira and Eva Hubbard. Maddie Biggs returned to the squad as a substitute, with Silvana Flores and Paige Peake again missing out through injury.
Town went into the game knowing that a win would guarantee second spot for the season, league rivals Southampton having secured the title with a midweek victory against south coast rivals Portsmouth.
The first half was a tentative encounter with the quality of the pitch affecting the game and neither team creating any real chances of note during the early stages.
On 29 minutes there was a moment of quality from Anna Grey in the middle of the park when she was allowed to make a lung-busting run down the left-hand side before putting the ball into the Oxford area, however there were no blue shirts to get on the end of the ball which was collected comfortably by Oxford goalkeeper Rose Kite.
Oxford immediately went on the attack and forced a shot on goal which was well held by Sarah Quantrill.
There was a scare for Town on 42 when Olivia Smith was robbed of the ball in the box, requiring a quick reaction from Quantrill to make a diving save to force the ball out for a corner.
Town then gave away a free-kick on the edge of the box having failed to clear the delivery, which was hit comfortably over.
The first half ended level with Oxford having looked the stronger of the two sides, but with everything left to play for in the second half.
Both teams started the second period brightly but again with no real clear-cut chances created at either end of the pitch until the hour mark when Barratt was able to get on the end of a long ball and square it to Grey, who then fired wide from distance.
Shortly afterwards, Sheehan made a double substitution with Natasha Thomas and Brasero-Carreira replacing Barratt and Lucy O’Brien. Town went close again after the change with Grey breaking through and attempting to round Kite, but was denied by a resolute Oxford defence.
The game then settled into a routine with neither side looking particularly threatening. On 71 Town defender Lucy Egan, who had put in a solid shift all game, was booked before an Oxford free-kick was saved by Quantrill.
Six minutes later, Sheehan made his final change with Biggs replacing Smith, before Abbie Lafayette joined Egan in the book for dissent.
With the game meandering to a goalless draw, the Oxford press finally paid off and on 86 Will was able to pick up the ball on the edge of the Town area and strike it into the top-right corner.
Town attempted to find their way back in to the game but were unable to break down Oxford before the ref brought the game to an end after two additional minutes to consign Town to their third league defeat of the season.
The Tractor Girls could have no complaints the result with Oxford having dominated large portions of the game and taken their only real clear-cut chance on goal.
Town remain second in the table, but only two points ahead of Oxford who play their game in hand against champions Southampton in midweek.
Ipswich now need to secure victory away in their final game at Portsmouth next weekend and hope Oxford drop points to guarantee second place in their first season in the third tier of English women’s football.
Town: Quantrill, Hughes, Smith (Biggs 77), Egan, Lafayette, Horwood, Robertson, King, O’Brien (Brasero-Carreira 61), Grey, Barratt (Thomas 61). Unused: Meollo, A Jackson. Attendance: 375.