Everton Ladies have a fighting chance of making it to the FA Cup Final

Everton Ladies are coming off of a 6-0 win over Lewes in the FA Cup and there was lots to celebrate. Woman of the Match, Chaney Boye-Hlorkah, played at her preferred position as a forward, and scored a hat-trick in the first half. Captain Danielle Turner, striker Chloe Kelly, and midfielder Megan Finnigan also got in on the goal scoring fun with one apiece.

The Blues have been drawn to play their FA Cup quarterfinal on March 18th against Durham, a team currently in fourth place in the 2nd tier of the WSL. It’s safe to say that Everton will find themselves in the semi-finals on April 15th.

From the looks of the other ties, the final four are very likely to be Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Everton Ladies (unless there is a major upset):

Based on only the WSL table and results, one could argue that the Blues haven’t got a chance. The other teams make up the top 3 in the WSL and Everton has yet to beat any of them this season. However, Everton Ladies only went full-time the beginning of this season and have steadily progressed since then.

The Toffees tend to give the top teams a good scare. They only lost by a goal both times they played against Man City. Manager Andy Spence called Everton’s 0-1 loss against Chelsea the best game they’d ever played. Chelsea manager Emma Hayes noted that Everton is “feisty” and always make it “difficult” for the WSL champs.

The top two WSL sides, Chelsea and Man City, are currently in the Champions League, which could lend to some fatigue. Birminham City, a mid-table team, just beat Manchester City 2-0. Meanwhile, the Everton Ladies are only getting better and they have a real shot at the FA Cup final on May 5th.

A good indicator of Everton’s FA Cup future will take place Friday night when they play a league game against Arsenal away. The last time these two teams met was in October and the Gunners won 2-0. Former US women’s national team player Heather O’Reilly has helped her team to a four match winning streak, including a 3-0 win over Liverpool.

Come on you Blue Girls!

Match Details:

Everton Ladies at Arsenal Women

Meadow Park

February 23rd

7:30 pm (Local) 2:30 pm (ET)