Our pre-season preparations continued with a 1-0 defeat against Chelsea at the Audi Field Stadium in Washington on Sunday.
Sandy Baltimore’s second-half volley was enough to separate the sides.
Aggie Beever-Jones played the ball inside to Maika Hamano early on, and she looked for the bottom right corner, but Manuela Zinsberger got down to catch it.
It was Beever-Jones again who looked dangerous moments later, appearing to be in on goal before Steph Catley showed great pace to track back and slide in to clear the danger.
Rosa Kafaji, making her first start for us, showed excellent footwork throughout the first half, and she put Caitlin Foord through with a perfectly timed pass. The latter shot wide of the goal with Zecira Musovic tracking back, however.
The Chelsea goalkeeper almost cost her side when she gave the ball away on the brink of half-time, but Musovic responded quickly enough to deny Foord and keep the game goalless.
Chelsea took the lead early in the second half when the ball fell kindly for Baltimore, who volleyed it into the back of the net from inside the penalty area.
Jonas Eidevall made four changes with half an hour to go, bringing Mariona Caldentey on for her debut alongside Laia Codina, Katie Reid and Frida Maanum with Foord, Catley, Leah Williamson and Kafaji making way.
We had a good chance to equalise when the ball was given away to Laura Wienroither in a dangerous area, but Sophie Ingle tidied up before Lia Walti was introduced in place of Kyra Cooney-Cross.
Alessia Russo struck straight at Hannah Hampton in the closing stages and we were unable to find a breakthrough.
WHAT’S NEXT?
We’re back in the UK for a trip to Southampton’s St. Mary’s Stadium for our final pre-season friendly match. It’s a 1.30pm kick-off on Saturday, August 31.
LINE-UPS
Chelsea XI: Musovic, Lawrence (Charles 46), Bright (Bjorn 46), Buchanan (Wardlaw 64), Bronze, Nusken (Ingle 46), Kaptein (Potter 64), Reiten (Bernabe 64), Hamano (Watson 64), Kaneryd, Beever-Jones (Ramirez 64).
Substitutes (not used): Hampton, Cox, Perisset, Baltimore.
Arsenal XI: Zinsberger, Williamson (Reid 61), Catley (Codina 61), McCabe, Wienroither, Little, Cooney-Cross (Walti 78), Kafaji (Maanum 61), Kuhl (Lia 87), Russo, Foord (Caldentey 61).
Substitutes (not used): Williams, Fox, Mead, Agyemang, Harbert, Earl.
Attendance: 17,130
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