Zoepfl: Ladies can be proud of 'good result' in Palace draw

Ellie Zoepfl

Ellie Zoepfl believes one point represents a good effort from West Ham United Ladies after the Hammers claimed a 0-0 draw away to Crystal Palace.

A high-energy encounter on Sunday saw both sides have big chances to take all three points, but solid defending meant the Irons and the Eagles shared the honours.

Zoepfl bemoans the fact that West Ham didn’t find the net, pointing to a big chance she herself missed in the first half, but ultimately reckons a share of the spoils is a good reward for her team’s efforts.

“It’s a good result for us today,” the 24-year-old told whufc.com. “It was a tough game but we worked really hard. I’m proud of all the girls for how they performed. I think we went into the match with a good game plan, so overall it was a good day.

“Of course, I’m disappointed we didn’t get the win. We had opportunities to score. We had a few chances to get a goal, including me, and I should have put mine away. But one point is still good for us here, against a really good Palace side.”

Of course, I'm disappointed we didn't get the win. But one point is still good for us here, against a really good Palace side.

Ellie Zoepfl

Karen Ray’s side lined up with a slightly new formation, with the Hammers utilising a 4-1-4-1 set-up, which saw Zoepfl on the left-flank while Rosie Kmita attacked through the middle.

Zoepfl explained: “We wanted to block their passing lanes and then be more attacking with the ball. We played with a higher line and looked to move play forwards with more speed and tempo. I think it worked for us.”

Both teams on Sunday saw goals disallowed for offside, with West Ham’s coming in the final minute of the game. Zoepfl played a clever pass to Molly Peters, who tucked home, but the linesman ruled the striker to have gone too early.

“I thought we had won it right at the end,” she admitted. “I’m not sure Molly was offside. It was a good finish, but a shame that the flag was raised.

“They almost had a goal at the end as well though, and my heart dropped when I thought they were going to score. It was a very back and forth game.”

Ellie Zoepfl v Palace

The draw with Palace spells an end to a very positive week for West Ham Ladies, who bested Cardiff City 6-2 away from home last Sunday before securing a place in the Isthmian League Cup final with a 4-0 win over Margate.

Zoepfl has hailed the work done by interim head coach Ray, and her team in preparing the side for a tough encounter at the end of a busy week.

“Karen and all the coaches and physios have done an amazing job of getting us ready for this match. We all felt pretty good but we could still feel that we had already played twice this week. It’s a good end to a busy week.

“Finally, we have a full week of rest before we go again next Sunday.”