Aberdeen Women co-manager Gavin Beith praised his side’s composure and resilience after their 4-0 loss to SWPL 1 leaders Rangers at Ibrox.
Sam Kerr and Kayla McCoy gave Rangers a 2-0 lead at half-time, before Nicola Docherty and Lizzie Arnott scored Rangers’ third and fourth in the second half.
It was a difficult afternoon for the Dons, in front of 4,421 fans at Ibrox, as Rangers dominated possession and barely gave the away side a sniff of goal.
But co-manager Beith was proud of Aberdeen’s display in difficult circumstances.
He said: “It’s obviously disappointing to lose any game and concede four goals, but at the same time I’m immensely proud of the team.
“You come to a stadium like this with a great atmosphere, it’s always going to be really really tough.
“The girls were fantastic, and after losing a couple early goals in the second half you think they could have got even more – but we kept ourselves in it.
“You’re coming up against top players, there’s a lot of noise, and a lot of pressure so you don’t get a chance to breathe because the game is so intense.
“It was a great experience for them all and hopefully we can grow from it.”
A disciplined defensive performance
It was the home side who had the first chance after winning a free kick near the corner flag, but Aaliyah-Jay Meach did well to punch away the in-swinging ball.
Aberdeen started well and had a great opportunity when Loren Campbell drove with the ball from her own backline and into the Rangers final third.
She played a perfectly-weighted pass through to Bayley Hutchison who squared the ball across the face of goal, which Docherty intercepted before it found Bailley Collins.
There had been no clear-cut chances for the home side thanks to Aberdeen’s resilience, until Arnott almost found the opener, getting on the end of a Demi Vance cross, but her effort went wide of the post.
However, the Ibrox crowd didn’t have to wait long to see a goal as Kerr put Rangers in front in the 30th minute.
Vance played another dangerous ball into the box, where the incoming Kerr smashed it into the net and beyond Meach for 1-0.
Rangers doubled their advantage in the the 38th minute as McCoy beat Donna Paterson to the ball, and bundled it home from close range after Meach spilled a Docherty cross.
‘It was difficult, but we’re happy’
It was 3-0 just minutes after the restart as wing-back Docherty got on the scoresheet with a left-footed curling effort from just outside the box.
Arnott extended Rangers lead to four in the 55th minute as she slotted the ball into the net, after getting on the end McCoy’s pass across the face of goal.
It looked like it was going to be 5-0 as Kirsty Howat cleared Paterson and got a clear shot on goal, but it was well blocked by skipper Kelly Forrest at the near post.
Aberdeen’s first chance of the second-half came when Collins beat Briana Westrup at the byline, before finding Louise Brown whose shot strayed wide of the post.
Hutchison tried her luck from distance, but her effort, while on target, didn’t trouble Jenna Fife in the Rangers goal, as the Scotland international collected it comfortably.
Beith admits that conceding so early in the second half left Aberdeen with a mountain to climb, but is proud of how his players reacted.
“Even at 2-0, it’s a mountain to climb, and then in the game it’s challenging for us to try and get into the final third – let alone getting shots and goals as well,” he explained.
“Although we go down 4-0, they have dig in and be resilient – and they showed that.
“The heads can go down and it can start to become 5, 6 or 7 and that didn’t happen.
“It was a difficult game, but we’re happy.”
SWF Championship North
Inverness Caley Thistle signed off their Championship North campaign on a high, playing their final fixture at the Caledonian Stadium.
Karen Mason’s side beat Westdyke 2-0 with both goals coming in the first half, courtesy of Kirsty Deans and Kayleigh Mackenzie.
Grampian ended their season with a 13-0 win against Dundee City West, while Buchan lost 12-0 to East Fife.