Northampton Town Women Development lost 4-3 at home to Beaumont Park in the East Midlands Women’s Regional Football League Cup first round on Sunday afternoon.
Kitty Crouch scored a hat-trick as the Cobblers were defeated by fellow Tier 6 opposition.
The hosts made a slow start and fell behind when Iona Smith rushed off her line to clear a through ball, but the ball was blocked by an attacker who slotted into the open goal.
The Cobblers grew into the tie and equalised when Crouch smashed Shannon Cain’s pass into the bottom corner.
The hosts now had momentum behind them, and they turned the scoreline around when the striker latched onto Georgia Gale’s ball and finished emphatically.
Crouch completed her hat-trick to double the lead soon after, slotting past the ‘keeper having been found by Abbie Reboul.
The Cobblers struggled to maintain possession in the second half and conceded five minutes after the restart when a long ball over the top of the defence was calmly converted.
Beaumont Park equalised with a similar goal on the hour mark and secured a place in the next round in added time when a defender made a clearance from her own half which looped into the back of the net.
Cobblers ‘keeper Smith almost sent the tie to extra time with a header from a corner within a minute, but the ball flew narrowly wide and her team were unable to get back on level terms again.