Everton Ladies are in the FA Cup Semi-Finals!

Everton Ladies won against WSL2 team Durham 6-1 on Sunday. Defender Gabby George was given a rest after her international travel away with England to the SheBelieves Cup tournament and goalkeeper Kirstie Levell got the start.

Striker Courtney Sweetman-Kirk impressed with a hat-trick while Captain Dan Turner, Jodie Brett, and Olivia Chance each scored a goal apiece. Durham’s Sarah Robson scored her team’s only goal in the second half off of a corner.

Everton will face Arsenal in the semi-finals on Sunday, 15 April, with more details forthcoming. The semi-finals will be televised live on BBC.

General manager Aaron Little spoke to Everton Magazine about progressing from not having “a single professional player” in June to making the FA Cup semi-finals in March:

“The fitness and technical ability of the players has gone up since the summer and you can see the natural progression they have made. It is exciting to see where we could be in the next six months, given how much progress we have made already.

“We brought in nine players - no other club strengthened that much. Being truthful, it was hard getting some over the line and to attract players new to the league. We tried to sell where we were going as a Club, the facilities we have at USM Finch Farm, the backing we have off Everton and the access to things like nutrition and performance analysis.

The level of detail we go into in terms of analysis and the wellbeing of players with things like safeguarding is one of the best in the league. We take care of our players and that is a selling point.”

Next up:

Everton Ladies play Sunderland away on Wednesday at 7pm. Everton are currently in eighth place while Sunderland sits in seventh.