An evening of mixed emotions for Motherwell, as a resolute performance went unrewarded, with the women of steel bowing out of the Scottish Cup Semi-Finals following a 2-0 defeat to Rangers at Hampden.
Hannah Davison broke the deadlock early into the first half before a late Chelsea Cornet strike sealed her sides place in the Scottish Cup final.
Manager, Paul Brownlie reiterated his pride for the squads admirable display:
“We said pre-match, make sure you leave everything on the pitch, and I thought they did that. Its been a good journey so far and there is a lot more to come from these players.
“We never came to make up the numbers, we tried to have a go and we were very unlucky. It was a tough task for us, but the players relished that task.
“It’s been a great achievement to get here, we are disappointed to lose the game, but it is important we think back and remember these moments.”
Rangers looked to quickly establish themselves in the game, with Motherwell soaking up much of the early pressure.
Emily Mutch reacted well to deny Kirsty Howat’s close-range effort after six minutes, with the stoppers outstretching leg deflecting the ball around the post.
A flurry of chances for both sides followed, but it would be Rangers who’d find the eventual breakthrough.
Sam Kerr’s floated delivery from the edge of the penalty area drifted into the path of Davison, who rose the highest to bullet her header beyond the reach of Mutch.
The Motherwell shot-stopper continued to keep the scoreline intact, parrying Tessel Middag’s effort wide of the target before denying Howat yet again with another strong reaction save.
With the game narrowly separated by the solitary opening goal, Tiree Burchill almost punished Rangers late on.
The striker skilfully pickpocketed her marker on the left before driving towards goal, but the Celtic loanee couldn’t apply the finishing touches as her strike arrowed past the far post.
However, in the final few minutes, Rangers netted a decisive second.
Middag’s perfectly weighted corner kick was accurately met by Cornet in the air, who powered a precise header into the ground before nestling into the bottom right corner.
Motherwell can leave the national stadium with their heads held high after a stellar defensive display in what was a historic day for the team.