Emma Harries hopes that West Ham United women’s team can take plenty of momentum forward after their convincing 6-1 win against Portsmouth on Wednesday evening.
The Hammers began their Women’s League Cup campaign with a big victory against Barclays Women's Championship opposition, and Harries found the net either side of half-time to have a big influence on proceedings.
West Ham’s attack had a fruitful evening, with Harries and Viviane Asseyi both scoring twice and subsequently getting off the mark for the 2024/25 campaign. Summer signing Seraina Piubel fired in her first strike for the Club, and Riko Ueki bagged a goal late on to finish things off in style.
Harries, 22, opened her account for the Club almost one year ago in the same competition, helping the Hammers beat Charlton Athletic. Since then, she has firmly made east London her home after a 13-year spell with her former side Reading.
She was delighted to see the Irons win so emphatically under the Chigwell Construction Stadium lights, while also being pleased that a number of new signings and younger players were able to take their opportunities in the team.
“I thought the girls were excellent tonight,” Harries told West Ham TV.
“It was really nice seeing loads of new faces get on the pitch, whether it was the young ones or our new arrivals. I thought they were all absolutely brilliant today.
“As a team performance, it was definitely something that we can build on and take with us into the league matches that we have coming up."
Wednesday’s win was the women’s team’s biggest since 2021 and showed the firepower that Rehanne Skinner has at her disposal when her forwards are on song.
Harries believes that their individual performances as well as the team’s overall showing will give all of the attackers confidence, while she also praised their terrific work-rate as a unit.
“As a forward, it’s always a confidence booster,” she agreed. "I know that our frontline work relentlessly in training and in games, whether that’s in or out of possession. Maybe we don’t find the net as much, but I think we offer so much more as forwards and as players.
“Getting the goals today shows that we’ve all got that to our game, and I think it’s a matter of continuing to work hard during the season, and I’m sure that plenty more goals will come for us all."
Skinner made nine changes to the side that drew with Liverpool at the weekend, with Harries included on the substitutes' bench. However, she was brought on midway through the first half after Ruby Doe was forced off with an injury.
Harries was pleased for the players on the pitch that had been given their opportunity and believes that the team as a whole has a strong togetherness that will stand them in good stead as the campaign continues.
She added: “The game gave everybody an opportunity to play and to show what they’re about. We’re one team, and everyone is going to be needed to chip in throughout the season.
“We’re a group that is really together, and I think that shows out on the pitch and with how we act off it. We can take our showing into Sunday, and I hope that we can secure another positive result.”
