Piteå saw off a late comeback from league leaders, Linköping to grab all three points on the road whilst Eskilstuna stopped the rot in Örebro to pick up their first win since May. Elsewhere, Kristianstad came from behind against Vittsjö to grab a draw as Kvarnsveden and Djurgården battled to their own draw and Hammarby kept it scoreless against KG.
Linköping 2-3 Piteå
In a repeat of their meeting in Linköping last summer, Piteå took an early lead as Josefin Johansson scooped Hanna Pettersson’s lay-off over Cajsa Andersson and into the top corner by way of the upright. The pair combined three minutes later as Johansson looped the ball back into the box for Pettersson to nod home, Andersson unable to hold onto her deft header.
However, unlike last year it was the visitors who found the third goal, Pettersson the creator once more, expertly picking out Nina Jakobsson at the start of the second-half, Jakobsson with space to send the ball spinning into the far corner to all but ensure the win. Marija Banušić’s goal just after the hour saw the hosts attempt to spark into life with something to go at and even with Lina Hurtig stoppage time strike to reduce the deficit it was too little too late and Piteå were able to close out the game.
KIF Örebro 0-1 Eskilstuna United
Ingrid Schjelderup’s first-half goal was enough for United to end a five-game winless streak and finally start keeping check with the two teams above them. With her first goal of the year, Schjelderup arrived into the box 33 minutes in to fire Fiona Brown’s square ball into the far corner. Mimmi Larsson wad unlucky to see her shot catch the underside of the bar and stay out but it was Carola Söberg who grabbed the headlines with a string of fine saves to keep the hosts in it. However, with Örebro unable to offer much of anything in attack it was a rampant Eskilstuna side who finished on top with their first win since May.
Vittsjö 1-1 Kristianstad
With her first goal for the club, Hannah Wilkinson gave the hosts the lead just eight minutes in when she slipped past Sif Atladóttir and fired into the top corner leaving Brett Maron no chance. Starting to lose their way in the game, Vittsjö were finally pegged back on the hour when Mia Carlsson nodded Tine Schryvers’ whipped free kick past Shannon Lynn. Even with a number of chances for both and a concerted late push from KDFF, neither were able to grab that all important winning goal and both had to settle for a lone point.
Kvarnsveden 2-2 Djurgården
Well-matched through the opening exchanges, the hosts took the lead early on when Tabitha Chawinga connected with a ball over the top to volley past Guðbjörg Gunnarsdóttir. The lead was however, short-lived as DIF found their stride and Madeleine Stegius restored parity two minutes later, volleying the ball deep into the net when the ball had been knocked-down at a corner.
The team in control, the visitors continued to look the better team after the break, even after being reduced to ten when Petronella Ekroth was shown a straight red.
A rash of scrappy fouls gifted Djurgården the chance to go ahead for the first time in the match, Freja Hellenberg’s free kick allowed to slip through the box and slot into the back of the net. Able to get slightly more purchase in the game as the seconds ticked away, helped along by their numerical advantage, Kvarnsveden found a scrappy equaliser. Another long ball over the top gave Chawinga something to run onto, beating the defence to the ball she took it wide and fed it back into the six-yard box, Lova Lundin’s scruffy effort tipped away by Gunnarsdóttir but Agnes Dahlström able to charge onto the loose ball and fire home. The hosts ended the game in frantic fashion, repelling DIF as they mounted one last drive, the spoils shared.
Hammarby 0-0 Kopparbergs/Göteborg
With both teams stuck at the wrong end of the table, a win for either would have meant some breathing space and though both tried for find a breakthrough there was nothing to separate them after ninety minutes. The draw marks Göteborg’s first back-to-back clean sheets of the season and stretches Hammarby’s unbeaten run to three, though both continue to hang perilously above the drop zone.
