Barclays WSL 2 results: Sunderland hit four as Ipswich hold Forest and Leicester hang on for a win

The Barclays Women's Super League 2 (WSL2) kicked off on Friday night under the lights. We witnessed some shock results, own goals, a red card and new signings shining. It was a bumper weekend of footballing action. There was plenty to talk about across the WSL 2 match-week one results, from Sunderland's four-goal win over Bristol City to Ipswich Town's late equaliser against Nottingham Forest. Here's how the opening round unfolded. Watford and Burnley share the points Two newly promoted teams faced off as Watford hosted Burnley at Vicarage Road. It was the first time the two teams had ever played each other. Watford dominated possession but couldn't make any of their 12 shots count against a resolute Burnley defence. Burnley pressed Watford, giving them little to no time on the ball. Burnley debutant and captain Christie Harrison-Murray came close with an audacious lob, but it drifted beyond Safia Middleton-Patel's post. Saoirse Noonan had Watford's best chance as she arched her run perfectly behind the last defender but shot into the side netting. The newcomers shared the points after a 0-0 draw. Both teams will have to be more clinical in attack to ensure they stay in this league. Southampton impress against Durham The next match of opening weekend took us north to Durham, where the hosts faced Southampton at Maiden Castle. Despite having only 41.3 percent possession, the Saints managed 22 shots at goal. Twelve hit the target, and two came off the woodwork. The opening goal came from a Saints free-kick from the right of the area, which caused chaos in the six-yard box. Durham couldn't clear before Ellie Brazil fired the ball into the net. Minutes later, Brazil turned provider. She delivered a driven ball into the penalty area, which found an onrushing Abbie Ferguson at the back post to make it 0-2. The Saints fired home a third before half-time when Megan Collett scored after the Durham keeper failed to collect a corner. The second half saw Saints keeper Grace Moloney called into action as she saved well from a fierce Dee Bradley shot. Durham did pull one back as defender Sarah Wilson tapped in at the back post from a corner. The Saints went marching home with three points and a +2 goal difference, with the match finishing 1-3. Newcastle start with a win Our attention then turned to a match kicking off not far away, as a new-look Newcastle United faced newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers. This match lit up straight away as Beth Lumsden got off the mark with a strike from outside the area, beating the onrushing goalkeeper. Another forward run from Lumsden set up Newcastle's second goal. She showed brilliant pace down the right wing and played a perfect pass into the area for teammate Mollie Lambert, who slid in to score. However, the goal was later given as an own goal against Wolves defender Georgia Marshall. Wolves never really challenged but also didn't concede further as the match finished 2-0 to Newcastle. Sunderland hit four against Bristol City A few miles south, we got a spectacular upset as Sunderland hosted promotion hopefuls Bristol City. The Reds started brightly as they took the lead early on. A cross from Lioness Katie Robinson landed perfectly at the feet of teammate Lotta Lindström, who fired in from close range. What happened next will take Bristol City manager Charlotte Healy a while to unpack as her team appeared to unravel. Rhiannon Roberts fired in a brilliant finish off the post from a corner to make it 1-1. Katy Watson then lit up the match. She made a mazy run into the penalty area and fizzed a ball across for Katie Kitching to tap in. Watson then bagged herself a brace to put the match beyond the Robins. Jessica Brown passed low into the Bristol City area, and it was met brilliantly by Katy Watson for her first. Watson wasn't finished there. She ran onto a good through ball and fired low into the corner beyond Fran Bentley. The goalkeeper might feel she could have done better. The final score was 4-1. Ipswich rescue a late point against Forest Back down south along the coast, Ipswich Town hosted Nottingham Forest. Rachael Rowe showed some skill for Forest, but it was her teammate Alana Murphy who broke the deadlock for the away team. Murphy's somewhat tame shot from the edge of the area was fumbled by the keeper and found the back of the net. Lysianne Proulx will feel she should have done better. Ipswich responded well as Megan Hornby dug out a super strike from the edge of the area into the top corner. She made it 1-1 after 93 minutes, leaving little time for a reply. The points were shared. Leicester hold on against Sheffield United Last but not least, former WSL side Leicester City travelled to face Midlands rivals Sheffield United. The former top tier side have rung the changes this summer. The stats showed they dominated in all areas, including with 21 shots at the Sheffield United goal. Leicester captain Sam Tierney made a good forward run and fired a low drive across the box. It struck the leg of Sheffield defender Leanne Cowan, and with the keeper wrong-footed, the ball rolled into the net. Alisha Lehmann then nearly made it 0-2 but struck the woodwork from close range after an initial shot from Emilia Pelgander was saved. Pelgander was then shown a second yellow card and sent off. The woodwork was hit again, but this time Sheffield were left in disbelief. Jess Reavill slid in to meet a cross, but the ball cannoned off the post and into Katie Keane's gloves. The three points headed back to Leicester, but Sheffield will feel they should have taken something from this match. Looking ahead to match-week 2 There is no doubt this league is going to be a rollercoaster. Some players to watch include Sunderland's Katy Watson, Newcastle's Beth Lumsden and Leicester City goalkeeper Katie Keane, who kept a clean sheet. Bristol City manager Charlotte Healy will need to work out where her team went wrong away at Sunderland. Forest will also be hoping they can turn chances into goals in their follow-up match. The next round of WSL 2 matches will be played on the weekend of 12-13 September. Related articles from Her Football Hub: