SOPHIE Quirk scored her first Cherries goal with a brilliant solo effort as AFC Bournemouth drew 1-1 with Rugby Borough in pre-season.
As preparations continue for their tier three bow, the Cherries faced their Northern Premier Division opponents on Sunday.
Bournemouth trailed early on as Yasmin Mosby scored direct from a corner which found the net at the far post after six minutes.
But Quirk stepped up 14 minutes later to draw Bournemouth level.
The forward, who joined Bournemouth from Portsmouth this month, picked the ball up deep inside her own half.
She drove forward, passing several defenders and reaching the edge of the box, before a sharp turn created an opening for a shot which saw the 23-year-old unleash a powerful left-footed effort into the top corner.
The first pre-season game at the 3G at the Ringwood Community Hub was an even contest against a side which finished fifth in the Northern Premier Division last term.
Fellow new signings Freya Meadows Tuson, Georgia Wilson and Jess Hennessy all played for the Cherries, while Elena Cole was away with Wales U19s.
Development squad players Kristina MacKinnon, Amie Cooper, Evie Murphy, Amelia Newton and Mia Hammick also featured for Steve Cuss’s side.
Cuss was impressed with Quirk’s effort, telling afcb.co.uk: “We’ve already seen some quality finishes from Sophie in training so to do it in front of a few people was great to see.
“She drove from her own half and it looked like the opportunity had gone but she cut back on her left-hand side and it was a great finish. It was a really special goal to mark the game.”
Cuss added: “I was really pleased with the performance.
“I thought it was a great pre-season test against a strong tier three team.
“You could see their qualities and they challenged us at various points in the game. But we showed up very well in terms of our defending and our attacking play. It was a really competitive pre-season game and I was delighted with it.
“We’re building up through pre-season and we’ve got a smaller squad than we had last season.
“Our development squad have enjoyed two really good seasons and a number of those players are pushing for places.
“We’re going to be using them throughout the season and they have shown up well in pre-season training.
“We gave them an opportunity today to come in and step up and I thought all of them did really well and I was really pleased with them.”
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