Celts sign off season with dramatic win over Stirling University.
Stirling University 1
Celtic 2
(Ross, Crosbie)
Celtic scored a last-gasp winner to take all three points in the final game of their summer season, with Natalie Ross and Claire Crosbie scoring the goals.
The Hoops started strongly, and good link-up play between Nicole Cairney and Colette Cavanagh created the first chance after just eight minutes, but the latter’s shot went just over the bar.
And Cavanagh came close again after being set up by Kelly Clark, but her effort was blocked.
In this early spell, Stirling were seldom able to get out of their own half, but when they did, they were fast and incisive. And from their first corner, Celtic keeper Emily Mutch had to touch the in-swinger over her crossbar.
Natalie Ross had a great shot on 20 minutes which was brilliantly saved by the Stirling keeper, but from the resulting corner, the Hoops midfielder finished from close-range.
The opening minutes of the second-half changed the whole complexion of the game. In 49 minutes, the home side won a corner on the right. The delivery was swinging inward and Celtic keeper Mutch unfortunately punched the ball into her own net.
With the score now level, the game became more open. Cairney tried her luck with a long-range shot, before Josi Giard struck the side-netting.
With just over 10 minutes remaining, substitute Sarah Ewens saw a corner strike the post. Then, with only two minutes remaining, Celtic won a corner on the left and this time Ewens’ delivery was headed into the net by centre-back Crosbie to win the game.
Speaking after the game, manager Eddie Wolecki Black said: “Overall I was really happy with the result and performance. I’m disappointed in a way that this was the last game of the season since I can see signs of us getting into our stride. The players mixed up the game well with a variety of short passes and long balls.
“The unfamiliar grass pitch made it difficult, but that’s three wins, a draw and only a narrow defeat – in what was probably the best performance of the five.”
CELTIC: Mutch, O’Neill (Rafferty), Crosbie, McCulloch, Craig, Cavanagh (Donaldson), Clark, Ross, Adams (Ewens), Cairney, Giard.
