Six of the best as Burnley FC Women win again at Loughborough

Evie Priestley and Millie Ravening both grabbed braces on the day, with Megan Dykes and Courtney Willis also on the scoresheet at the Loughborough University Stadium

Three changes were made to the Clarets’ side from last Sunday’s 7-0 win over Hull City Ladies, with Dykes, Dom Cooper, and Sarah Greenhalgh all in from the off.

Defender Mel Brown and midfielder Hollie Kelsh started on the bench, while Lizzy Hamer missed out through illness.

Burnley started the quicker and could have been ahead within two minutes as Priestley was played through on goal, but a heavy touch took the ball out of her control.

Nic Worthington also had a free kick deflected wide not long after, before Greenhalgh broke through and took aim, though Loughborough goalkeeper Kiva

Webb saved well.

Willis hit the post for the Clarets while Loughborough’s Laura Steele shot wide from range at the other end.

It was defender Dykes who got the opener on 18 minutes, heading home Dom Cooper’s corner.

Less than 60 seconds later, it would have been two but for a fine stop from Webb to deny Priestley, while Burnley keeper and captain Lauren Bracewell was also called into action, tipping over Steele’s dipping free kick.

On 43 minutes, prolific scorer Ravening did double her side’s advantage though, and in some style.

Latching onto Worthington’s cross from the right, the midfielder executed a bicycle kick to send the ball flying into the corner of the net.

Following a relatively quiet period after the restart, Burnley thought they had a third with Greenhalgh heading home from a corner routine off the training ground, though the off-side flag denied her and the Clarets.

On the hour mark, forward Priestley did extend the lead with a well-taken finish having latched onto Ravening’s dink over the top of the Lightning defence.

Two minutes later, the hosts pulled one back through captain Chloe Young, who fired home from distance with Bracewell out of her goal, having made an excellent sliding challenge to deny her opponents in the first instance.

From there on however, the Clarets dominated and pulled away on the scoreboard, deserving of their performance.

Ravening got her second on 65 minutes, meeting Dom Cooper’s corner to head in, while both Priestley and Willis saw numerous efforts saved by Webb before the fifth of the afternoon.

Eventually, it came on 85 minutes through Willis, heading in Kelsh’s corner from the right, with the latter coming on from the bench earlier in the half.

And Burnley’s sixth and final goal came just two minutes later via Priestley, who couldn’t miss from a few yards out as Kelsh won the ball high up the pitch and drilled across goal for her to tap in.

Hosts Loughborough did pull one back late on as substitute Anna Ranken converted having been slipped through on goal, with the Clarets pressing hard for a seventh.

The women’s team return to action on Thursday night – April 14th – at Huddersfield Town, with a 7-45 p.m. kick-off.