SB OAK Villa suffered penalty heartbreak in the Devon Women’s League Cup final on Thursday evening at Coach Road.
The Devon South & West champions drew 1-1 with higher league Bradworthy at the end of 90 minutes and the cup winners were decided on a penalty shoot-out, which the north Devon outfit won 4-2.
It was tough on Oak Villa, who probably should have won the game in normal time.
Neither side were able to find the net in the opening 45 minutes, but Oak Villa upped their game in the second half and went ahead in the 65th minute when Rachel Finch scored a fine goal after Victoria Jasper had seen a good shot saved by the Bradworthy keeper.
But the Devon Premier Division side bounced back. They had one goal disallowed for offside but then Sarah Badham did equalise 11 minutes from time after heading in a rebound after her initial shot was brilliantly saved.
In the penalty shoot-out, Bradworthy did see their first kick well saved, but then they converted all their others.
It was Oak Villa’s second penalty shoot-out cup loss of the season, having also suffered spot-kick agony in the semi-finals of the Devon Senior Cup.
However, apart from those two penalty shoot-outs, Oak Villa have not been beaten this season and finished their league campaign with a 100 per cent record and also won the Devon South & West League Cup. They did celebrate those achievements on Thursday night.
It has been a good season for Plymouth’s women’s football sides.
Marine Academy Plymouth recently won the South West Women’s Premier League Cup, beating Bristol Rovers 2-0. They also finished as runners-up in the league.
Saltash United came runners-up in the South West Western Division, while Plympton won the Devon Premier Division, Horrabridge were runners-up to Oak Villa in the Devon South & West and Saltash Borough were runners-up in Cornwall Division One.
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