The Royals beat fellow WSL side Aston Villa in Berkshire in their final game of pre-season.
Kelly Chambers’ side wrapped up Pre-Season with a win at the Select Car Leasing Stadium in a behind closed doors game.
Some pressing play from the Royals saw Vanhaevermaet win possession high in the opposition half. Vanhaevermaet found Rowe who made a yard of space and struck towards goal but didn’t trouble Hampton.
Wade found herself in some space in the Villa half, she carried the ball forward, but her effort at goal well held by Hampton.
A loose ball from Hampton was picked off high up the pitch by Troelsgaard, who found Eikeland running through. Her clipped cross was just over those in the box, Vanhaevermaet recycled but Villa able to clear.
The Royals won a freekick through Woodham after some excellent play. Rowe swung the ball, it was cleared only as far as Mitchell who with some fantastic footwork got the ball back into the box. Cooper met the cross but couldn’t quite steer it on target.
Mitchell opened the scoring for the Royals on 39 minutes after she picked the ball up at the far post from a freekick. She took the ball under control, opened up and curled one into the top corner from a tight angle.
At the other end, Moloney was called into action and made a point blank save from a Lehmann header. The rebound came to nothing as the linesman had the flag up for the initial cross into Lehmann.
Daly equalised for the visitors on the stroke of half time with a flick from close range
Half-time: Reading 1-1 Aston Villa
Hampton was called into action after Rowe drove a low freekick towards goal. The Villa keeper was equal to it and held well.
Woodham struck the woodwork on 60 minutes, a through ball from Mitchell found Woodham running in behind. She hit it first time at the near post, with Hampton rooted, with the ball cannoning off the frame of the goal.
The Royals took the lead on 65 minutes, Rowe picked the ball up in her own half and carried the attack forward. A floated ball over the top found the lung-busting, overlapping run of Woodham. She took the ball down well and drilled her effort low and hard, taking a deflection which wrong-footed Hampton and beat her at the near post.
Woodham was involved again as she was picked out high and wide on the left, she pulled back a cross to Vanhaevermaet who flicked the ball upwards with her first touch. The ball ricocheted about and the referee adjudged a Villa player to have handled the ball and awarded a penalty to Reading.
Vanhaevermaet stepped up and made it 3 from the spot on 72 minutes sending Hampton the wrong way as she buried her effort.
A Reading corner caused problems in the penalty area as Villa failed to clear, it broke to Cooper who beat her player and stabbed an effort at goal forcing Hampton into a save.
The visitors were awarded a penalty of their own after Primmer was adjudged to have fouled Blindkilde-Brown. Daly got her second as she stepped up on 85 minutes and scored to pull Villa back within one.
Full-Time: Reading 3-2 Aston Villa
Reading FC Women:
Moloney (GK), Mitchell (Caldwell 70’), Evans, Wellings, Eikeland, Wade, Cooper, Rowe (Primmer 66’), Vanhaevermaet (Bryson 81’), Woodham, Troelsgaard (Perry 70’)
Scorers: Mitchell (39), Woodham (65), Vanhaevermaet (72 pen)
Unused Subs: Burns (GK), Jane, Meadows-Tuson
Aston Villa WFC:
Hampton, Mayling, Patten, Corsie (C), Turner, Dali, Littlejohn, Lehmann (Boye-Hlorkah 45’), Harding (Blindkilde-Brown), Gregory, Daly
Scorers: Daly (45, 85 pen)