Northampton Town Women drew 2-2 at home to Solihull Moors in their first midweek fixture of the FA Women’s National League Division One Midlands season on Thursday evening.
Ona Ndefo scored the Cobblers’ opening goal early on and Alex Dicks netted an added time equaliser as they secured a point in a match they perhaps could have got more out of.
Joint-managers Josh Oldfield and Liam Williams made one change to the side that lost to Loughborough Lightning last week, as Laila Channell replaced Beth Artemiou in the starting line up.
The Cobblers opened the scoring after just four minutes, Ndefo dispossessing a defender on the edge of the area and firing a dipping strike into the far top corner.
The hosts almost doubled their lead 10 minutes in, Jade Bell sprinting onto Annie Villamartin’s through ball and poking past the onrushing Lucy Bicknell but narrowly wide.
Solihull grew into the contest and came closest to equalising five minutes before the break when captain Becky Knight was inches from reaching a driven cross in the middle.
The Cobblers created two opportunities in quick succession in the final minute of normal time in the first half, Channell having a low ball towards the near post blocked as Ndefo set herself to finish from close range and Bianca Luttman flicking a header across the face of goal from the resulting corner.
Solihull equalised 10 minutes into the second half when Knight arrived on the edge of the six yard box to tap in a cutback from the byline.
The visitors turned the game on its head the other side of the hour mark when Marsha Malik took a touch inside and found the bottom corner from the edge.
The Cobblers eventually regained their composure as they faced a one-goal deficit going into the final 10 minutes.
Substitute Artemiou was played in by Bell but her low shot was denied one-on-one and Vicky Barrett’s header from a corner was also pushed away by replacement ‘keeper Harley Savage.
Katie McLean was forced into a number of late saves as the game finished in end-to-end fashion, and the stops proved vital as sub Dicks rescued a point with a cross-shot that looped over Savage and into the far corner.
The Cobblers travel to Lincoln City in their next fixture on Sunday.
Cobblers: Katie McLean, Paige Ridley, Vicky Barrett, Bianca Luttman, Zoe Boote, Fay Noble, Annie Villamartin, Ruby Heselden, Laila Channell, Jade Bell, Ona Ndefo
Substitutes: TJ Warren, Beth Artemiou, Shannon Cain, Kitty Crouch, Alex Dicks