English Schools' Football Association

England U15 Schoolgirls Squad in Portugal

The England Under 15 Schoolgirls’ squad (on tour in Portugal courtesy of inspiresport) travelled out of Lisbon to the City of Sintra for an evening floodlight match against the Sintrense Girls’ Football Club. The city’s soccer complex nestled in a hollow under the shadow of the beautiful Sintra Castle. The game was played on a 3G pitch in front of a local crowd, supplemented by parents and friends of the ESFA girls who had travelled from England.

The England girls started positively, hitting the post after just 2 minutes of play. They took the lead after 10 minutes when skipper Niamh Cashin netted with a glancing header following a great left wing build-up. Although England had further first half chances (including a shot from Niamh which went narrowly wide) there was no addition to the score-line.

The England captain netted again after 41 minutes with a stunning free-kick from outside the penalty area. After 53 minutes of play Charlotte Newsham side-footed into the net following a fine run down the right wing by Maddie Phillips. England went four up after 59 minutes when a cross from Olivia Smith deceived the home keeper. Two further goals late in the second half by Sophie Charlton (a shot from outside the area) and Leonie Hutchinson gave England a comfortable 6-0 win. Team Manager Miranda Hall had been able to give all 15 squad players a significant amount of game time and all had given a good account of themselves.

Next up for the England girls is a training session at Benfica’s training complex on Wednesday morning followed by the second match of the tour when they play adjacent to the Stadium of Light against CAC – kick-off 3.15 pm (local time).

Thursday will see the girls enjoy a behind the scenes tour of SL Benfica Stadium and museum before departing for England.