Crystal Palace 3 Charlton 0
Charlton were beaten 3-0 away to Crystal Palace in the second game of their Subway Players Cup campaign.
After making the short hop across South London, The Addicks were led out by Carla Humphrey, who captained the side for the first time.
The opening 20 minutes of the first half went without incident, with neither side threatening the opposing goal.
The first half-chance of the game coming from Palace left-back, Caitlin Cosme, whose speculative shot sailed past Anna Koivunen’s post.
Then came Charlton’s turn to have a shot towards goal. Katie Lockwood sliding in Gillian Kenney down the right channel, whose cutback could only be cleared to Carla Humphrey on the edge of the box, but her shot looped just over the bar.
It was not long after that home side took the lead. In the 23rd minute, Shande Hopcroft’s shot from distance travelled through a wall of players in the penalty box and couldn’t be kept out by Koivunen.
Charlton began the second half brightly and started to build pressure, with Ash Neville and Gillian Kenney continuing to find space down the right-hand side but were unable to convert that pressure into clearcut chances.
As Karen Hills readied Jodie Hutton and Lucia Lobato from the bench, Palace scored their second, Kirsty Howat flicking in a low cross in the 65th minute.
Hutton made an immediate impact after coming on, creating a chance for herself as she drove at the retreating defence. Her shot cannoned off the inside of the crossbar but somehow stayed out.
Late into stoppage time Crystal Palace netted again through Lexi Lloyd-Smith to make it 3-0.
Charlton: Koivunen; Neville (Lobato 63), Johnston (Korhonen 45+4), Robe (Nelson-Iye 80), Waldie, Mason; Humphrey, Lockwood, Fitzgerald; Azzaro (Hutton 63), Kenney
Subs (not used): Pedersen, N’Dow, Davidson, Flannery
Crystal Palace: Yanez, Cosme, Enge, Nolan, Napier (Goldie 71), Hopcroft (Bartrip 46), Weerden (Lloyd-Smith 80), Blanchard (O’Brien 46), Howat, Larkin (England 71)
Subs (not used): Erhabor, Everett, Swaby, Moynihan
Goals: Hopcroft 22, Howat 62
Referee: Lisa Benn
Attendance: 264