Match report as it happened

Gwalia United 1-6 Exeter City WFC

14th December 2025

Team news: Two changes for City

Fearne Slocombe and Maddie Durrant start

Georgia Vaccaro returns to the Matchday squad

Sarah Stacey and Ellie Sara miss out with illness and injury.

Kick Off at 2pm

7 minutes  - Chance

A driving  run from Amber and her shot from distance is over the crossbar

8 minutes  - Goal

Goal for the home side, a free header from cross wide on the city left.

10 minutes  - Chance

Good goalkeeping from Haaland (not that one) as she palms Amber's cross away with Sophie looking to pounce

11 minutes - Chance

Amber with the cross again but it just evades Ish's run, good response from the Grecians

12 minutes - Chance

Sophie turns over possession, Maddie drives towards goal and flashes an effort just wide

13 minutes - Chance

Sophie with a mazy run, not sure how her cross is not converted as city had the numbers in the penalty area, but it evades them all

18 minutes - Chance

Excellent link play from Sophie and Maddie, Haaland is down well to save the effort at the near post

22 minutes- Chance

Sophie with the effort from the free kick, Haaland smothers the ball on her line

28 minutes - Goal

Patient city build up and Sophie finds the top corner from the edge of the penalty area

35 minutes - Save

Liv does well to claw away a deep corner as it drops underneath the crossbar

40 minutes - Goal

Amber with the great work to cross from the byline and Ish rises like a salmon to nod in

42 minutes- Goal

Ishbel beats the goalkeeper and defender to the ball and slots into the empty net

46 minutes - Chance

City fail to clear the cross and the Gwalia effort is over

Half Time

City have been clinical in this first half, Sophie Gillies and Ishbel Zuurmond (2) with the goals.

Gwalia United 1-3 Exeter City WFC

46 minutes - Chance

Early chance. Ish breaks and sets Amber to run at the defence, her cross is volleyed wide by Sophie

61 minutes - Chance

Asker cuts inside and Liv holds the effort from distance

64 minutes - Penalty

Amber is brought down and we have a chance to make it four.

65 minutes -  Goal

A first Grecian Goal for Leah Burridge as she strikes the penalty into the middle of the net

68 minutes - Crossbar

The wind catches a Gwalia cross and it hits the face of the crossbar

71 minutes - Substitutions

Beth Ireland, Georgia Vaccaro, Bow Jackson replace Phoebe Baker, Maddie Durrant, Jaydee Seaman

74 minutes - Chance

Emily Poole with the cross and Ish's forceful header is wide.

77 minutes - Goal

It's another city goal for Georgia, Beth's perfectly weighted pass, Amber's cross and Georgia heads in number five!

82 minutes - Chance

Agh! Sophie's header drops to Ish but her effort is blocked from close range

83 minutes- Substitution

Leah Burridge is replaced by Jess Sandland.

84 minutes- Goal

Two for Georgia!

Brilliant work from Sophie who finds the low cross for G to finish

92 minutes - Chance

Good defensive block from Beth as Gwalia finish strongly.

Full Time

Ishbel Zuurmond and Georgia Vaccaro at the double, Sophie Gillies and Leah Burridge goals ensure we finish the year with three points

Match Report

Exeter City Women bounced back with a commanding performance against Gwalia United in Cardiff and move themselves into sixth position in the WNL Southern Premier Division.

The Grecians travelled to South Wales looking for a return to winning ways after a disappointing result at home to Cheltenham Town the week beforehand, with Gwalia themselves wanting a win to help climb out of the bottom two in the league.

Abbie Britton made two changes to the team from the previous week, with Fearne Slocombe and Maddie Durrant rejoining the XI and Georgia Vaccaro rejoining the bench following illness & injury setbacks for Sarah Stacey and Ellie Sara.

First Half

After a disappointing few weeks, the Grecians were behind once more in the opening minutes, Casi Gregson given the freedom of the City penalty area to plant a firm header into the bottom corner. The goal acted as a wakeup call for Abbie Britton’s side as they began to dominate proceedings, Amber Pollock driving at the home defence and delivering a series of crosses for the home side to defend.

Sophie Gillies and Maddie Durrant’s interchange allowed Durrant to stride towards goal, her effort narrowly wide of the far post. Gillies was provider again as her mazy run and cross somehow evaded all three of the Grecians attacking players. Durrant and Gillies both testing United Goalkeeper Benedicte Haaland from distance as the pressure began to mount on the home side.

City would find the equaliser on the half hour mark, and it was a moment of quality that delivered it. Ishbel Zuurmond’srun and pass to find Gillies allowed the Grecians leading scorer to find the top corner with a brilliant effort.

Pollock’s pace and power continued to pose a threat and her persistance and delivery would give her side the lead, a chipped cross from the byline finding the head of Zuurmond. Two quickly became three, Zuurmond pouncing on indecision from the home defence to take the loose ball around Haaland and slot into the empty net.

A commanding lead at the break and the belief that more goals would come if the performance from the Grecians attack maintained.

Second Half

The Zuurmond-Pollock-Gillies combo delivered another chance in the opening minutes of the second half, Gillies volleying wide after another precise cross from Pollock. The influential Pollock would be involved in the next City goal as she was tripped in the penalty area, Leah Burridge firing in her first Grecians goal to make it four.

Gwalia continued to offer a threat with crosses and balls over the top proving a difficult source for City to prevent at present, Daisy Ackerman thumping the crossbar with an effort from distance as the hosts looked for a way back into the game.

However, such is the quality of the City squad, changes tend to strengthen the performance not weaken it and Britton’s side would again finish strongly. Beth Ireland found the run of Pollock and her inviting cross was headed in by Georgia Vaccaro. Number six followed five minutes later, Gillies’ persistence allowed her to steal possession in the Gwalia penalty area and her cut back was converted by Vaccaro from close range.

The sixteen-year-old now has five goals in her last seven games, starting only one of those fixtures, and is fast enhancing her reputation as a star of the future and one that the Grecians will be looking to build around in coming seasons.

Ireland blocked a late effort after patient play from the home side, but it was City's day and a welcome three points after a tough run of results. 

A mixed first half of the season, but the vibrancy, pace and athleticism in the City attack certainly offers hope that the second half of the season can offer more points and a continual upward momentum for the team. 

Gwalia United XI: Haaland (GK), Thomas, S. Vine, Jones, McGowan, Quick, Pearce, O'Keefe, Gregson, Ackerman, Williams-Mills (C)

Gwalia United unused subs: A. Vine, Asker, Sanford, Yarwood, Broadhurst

Goalscorers: Gregson (8')

Exeter City XI: Giles (GK), Poole, Slocombe, Seaman (C)(Jackson 71'), Toogood, Pollock, Baker (Ireland 71'), Burridge (Sandland 83'), Zuurmond, Durrant (Vaccaro 71'), Gillies

Exeter City unused subs: Bond (GK)

Goalscorers: Gillies (28'), Zuurmond (40', 42'), Burridge (65'), Vaccaro (77', 84')