Foxes Beat Brighton On Penalties In League Cup
Taking their tally up to three points in Group D of the League Cup, Leicester sit second in the standings, one point behind leaders Brighton ahead of the final round of group stage matches next month.
Amandine Miquel made five changes to the side that were beaten 2-0 by Manchester United in the Barclays Women's Super League a week ago, with Lize Kop, Asmita Ale, Julie Thibaud, Missy Goodwin and Chantelle Swaby all coming in to the changed starting XI, while Academy players Simone Sherwood and Nelly Las were on the bench.
Pressing hard on the front foot, the first couple of chances fell to the Foxes who tested the gloves of the Brighton 'keeper on two occasions; first of all when Goodwin tried her luck from outside the box before Ruby Mace's deflected shot drifted just wide of the post.
The next chance for Leicester came just before the half-hour mark when Saori Takarada pulled the ball back into the path of Yuka Momiki but the midfielder's effort landed straight into the chest of Melian Loeck.
At the start of the of the second half, the visitors continued to threaten; with a more distinct distance between the defence and attack in order to minimise Brighton's time on the ball.
Little over the hour mark, Miquel's side came inches away from scoring when Momiki, who had looked dangerous throughout the afternoon in Crawley, struck the crossbar from just inside the box.
In the last 15 minutes, Brighton seemed to flick a switch and with new faces on the pitch, including Nikita Parris, were causing concern for the Foxes backline.
in the final few minutes, Academy player Nelly Las made her second appearance in the League Cup, as both teams looked to steal all three points late on before penalties loomed, but to no avail.
With nothing to separate the sides, each team earned a point and to spot-kicks we went to decide the bonus point. After taking the lead when Momiki saw her penalty saved, two misses from Brighton allowed Deanne Rose to fire in the fifth effort and confirm two points on the road for the Foxes.
City now have a week absence with international fixtures on the horizon and return to WSL action when they face Manchester City on Sunday 8 December (1pm GMT kick-off) at Joie Stadium.
Images courtesy of Brighton & Hove Albion.