AFC Bournemouth Women have been drawn away to fellow Tier 3 side Norwich City in the second round of the Women’s FA Cup, as the Cherries look to build on last season’s historic cup run.
The Canaries currently sit eighth in the Northern Women’s National League, while Bournemouth occupy third place in the Women’s National League South. Bournemouth reached the fourth round of the competition last season before being knocked out by Women’s Super League side Manchester City.
Defender Anya Lucas believes her side have the ambition and ability to go even further this time around.
“We did really well last year, but as a club, I think our ambition is always to aim higher and achieve more,” Lucas said.
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“I believe that’s definitely possible with this squad this year.”
The Cherries will travel to Norwich on Sunday, 15 November, with a place in the third round at stake. Victory would also earn the winning side £9,000 in prize money, while the losing team would receive £4,000.
Bournemouth booked their place in the second round with a convincing 4-0 victory over Feniton FC at the Bob Lucas Stadium.
The Cherries, a Tier 3 side, faced a determined Feniton team from Tier 6, who held their opponents for 33 minutes before summer signing Clarabella Hall broke the deadlock.
The former Cheltenham forward continued her impressive start to life at Bournemouth, scoring for the third consecutive game.
Just five minutes after opening the scoring, the Cherries doubled their advantage, leaving the visitors with a difficult task.
Hall went on to complete her brace in the second half, while Issy Bryant and Tia Young also contributed to the four-goal victory.
Feniton battled until the final whistle but were unable to find a way past the Bournemouth defence.
The match also marked an FA Cup debut for Bournemouth defender Anya Lucas, who joined the Cherries in the summer after leaving Southampton.
Reflecting on the performance, Lucas praised her teammates’ efforts despite the challenging conditions.
“The conditions made it really difficult, but keeping a clean sheet and scoring four goals shows the strength of our performance.”
The Poole-born teenager added: “Personally, I want to keep contributing as much as I can to help the team, and help us have another cup run.”
With Feniton defeated and Norwich City awaiting in the next round, Bournemouth Women will now turn their attention to continuing their progress in the Women’s FA Cup and attempting to surpass last season’s achievements.
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