Yeovil Town Women reached the FA Cup Third Round Qualifying with a penalty shootout win over Poole Town at Alvington on Sunday.
The Glovers took the lead through Holly Meakins on the half-hour mark, but their Dorset opponents equalised after the break to send the tie to spot-kicks.
While the Dolphins failed to convert their first two kicks, Yeovil were perfect from 12 yards to seal their place in the hat.
It was an open game from the start, with Erin Bloomfield breaking clear and forcing goalkeeper Be-Be Smith into a fine save. Poole threatened at the other end, with one effort rattling the post.
It was Dave Court’s side who broke the deadlock when Meakins raced through and calmly slotted the ball beneath Smith to open the scoring.
Meakins could have doubled her tally minutes after the break but was denied by Smith, while Isabella Foster could only blaze the rebound over the bar.
That miss would prove costly when the referee awarded Poole a penalty for a foul in the box. Emily Hall superbly tipped Cassidy Wood’s strike onto the post, but the number nine followed up to score at the second attempt.
There were chances to win it for the Somerset side, with Evie Foot and Jodi Cornwall both bringing the best out of the impressive Smith, but there was nothing to separate the sides after 90 minutes.
Yeovil took an early advantage in the shootout, with the Dorset side sending their first effort over the bar. After Becky Miles converted, Hall made another top-drawer save to pile the pressure on Poole.
Meakins found the net, and although Poole scored from their third attempt, Halle Arnold stepped up to send the Glovers through to the next round, where they will face Portishead Town at Alvington on Sunday 4th October.