Olislagers rescues a point for Albion

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Albion 1, Spurs 1: Dutch defender equalises with ten minutes to go to keep Albion's unbeaten home record intact.

Bruce Talbot

2024-12-14T19:40+00:00

Marisa Olislagers celebrates her equaliser and first goal for the club. 📷 by Kyle Hemsley.

Marisa Olislagers scored her first goal for the club as Albion maintained their unbeaten home record with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Spurs at the Broadfield Stadium on Saturday.

Dario Vidosic’s side dominated the first half but couldn’t find a way through and Spurs rallied after the break with Beth England’s fine finish 15 minutes from time – her eighth WSL goal against Albion – giving the visitors the lead.

But Olislagers volleyed home to make it 1-1 and after a medical emergency in the crowd held up the resumption for nearly 15 minutes Albion pushed for the winner but they couldn’t find a second goal. They will go into the mid-season break in fifth place in the table.

Vicky Losada cuts inside. 📷 by Kyle Hemsley.

Spurs began brightly and it needed Jorelyn Carabali to make a superb interception to prevent England from converting Jess Naz’s left-wing cross after just two minutes.

Albion soon found their rhythm though, keeping possession and trying to work an opening. Carabali overlapped down the left and latched onto Kiko Seike’s pass before forcing Spurs’ keeper Eleanor Heeps to beat out her angled drive. Then Pauline Bremer, who scored a spectacular goal from outside the box in the midweek win over Bristol City, tried her luck with her right foot from 20 yards and only just missed the left-hand upright.

Heeps held Nikita Parris’s header under the crossbar after Molly Bartrip had headed Jelena Cancovic’s cross away with Seike waiting to pounce as Albion continued to dominate. Vicky Losada then spotted Poppy Pattinson’s run into the box but the defender, who was making her 100th WSL appearance, couldn’t find enough power in her shot to extend Heeps. Albion had dominated the first half with the only thing missing a goal to reward their efforts.

Poppy Pattinson goes forward on her 100th WSL appearance. 📷 by Kyle Hemsley.

Vidosic brought on Michelle Agyemang for Bremer at the break but it was Spurs found another gear at the start of the second half and began to get on top. Carabali was booked for a foul on Hayley Raso but then produced another fine interception to stop England converting Naz’s pull-back. On the hour Sophie Baggaley made her first save, diving to her right to keep out England’s powerful shot on the run.

Rachel McLauchlan breaks away with the ball in the second half. 📷 by Kyle Hemsley.

Albion were struggling to reproduce their first-half intensity but Parris went close with a shot which took a deflection after the home side counter-attacked through Olislagers and Agyemang down the left.

The deadlock was broken with 15 minutes to go. Martha Thomas and Naz broke down the right and Thomas’s cut-back to England was swept into the bottom corner by the Spurs’ striker.

Agyemang tested Heeps from distance but it looked like being one of those nights when Albion conjured up an equaliser from an unlikely source ten minutes from time. Rachel McLauchlan’s cross was flicked on by Agyemang and Olislagers sent a fine right-foot volley into the far corner from the left-hand edge of the six-yard box.

Marisa Olislagers levelled for Albion with ten minutes to go. 📷 by Kyle Hemsley.

There was a 14-minute delay as a medical emergency in the crowd was dealt with and both teams came off the pitch before the game resumed. The goal – and the chance to regroup – galvanised Albion and they looked more likely to find the winner.

Heeps kept out efforts from Agyemang and Seike, but Spurs held firm.