Scottish Women's Football

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Holders Rangers made it to the SWPL Cup final for the fourth year in a row after overcoming Celtic on penalties thanks to goalkeeper Jenna Fife's heroics.

Leanne Crichton's side, who have won the trophy three years running, will face Glasgow City in the final at Fir Park on 29 March.

Celtic had led through Maria McAneny after 15 minutes, but Katie Wilkinson struck from the spot to level shortly after.

Parity didn't last long as Emma Lawton bundled Celtic back into the lead and Poppy Pritchard's penalty had them 3-1 ahead in the first half.

Laura Berry reduced the deficit just before the break then scored an equalised in the 90th minute to force extra time.

Celtic were awarded their second penalty of the match in the 98th minute but this time Fife was able to deny Saoirse Noonan.

Fife then saved from Claire Walsh and Maria McAneny as Rangers triumphed 4-2 on penalties.

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Glasgow City survived a second half scare to book their spot in the SWPL Cup final with a 2-1 win over Hibernian at Meadowbank.

Leanne Ross' side will face either Celtic or Rangers at Fir Park at the end of March.

Hibs had an early chance to take the lead when Kathleen McGovern, who started her first game since November, intercepted a City goal kick. Rosie Livingstone rocketed a strike off the post before Tegan Bowie fired the rebound well over the bar.

City raced up the other end and Noa Schumacher had to make an impressive stop with her foot to prevent the visitors from grabbing an opener.

City found the breakthrough in first half stoppage time when Nicole Kozlova put pressure on Hibs defender Rachael Boyle who was trying to shield the ball through to her goalkeeper. The City forward got in front of the Hibs captain to poke the ball beyond Schumacher.

City almost doubled their advantage minutes into the second half, with defender Ellis Notley and Noa Schumacher putting their bodies on the line to keep the ball out of the net.

Half-time substitute Chloe Warrington stepped up with City's second when she fired a magnificent strike perfectly into the top corner of Schumacher's goal.

Kirsten Reilly hit back for the hosts with half an hour to play when she scored directly from a Hibs free-kick right on the corner of City box and Hibs kept the pressure on until the final whistle but couldn't find the goal that would have taken the tie to extra-time.

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Rangers have signed Aston Villa goalkeeper Soffia Kelly on loan until the end of the season.

Born in Wales, the 18-year-old came through the academy at Villa and became the first player to sign with the side via their academy pathway when she penned a professional contract in March last year.

Internationally the goalkeeper is yet to earn a senior cap but has featured for Wales at under-19s level and has been in squads and on the bench for the senior side for Nations League and Euro 2025 games.

I am really excited," Kelly told club media of the move.

"I have heard some really good things about the club through friends and staff and things like that.

"Just coming in, everyone has been so welcoming, which is what you want when you come into a new environment.

"For me, I just want to try and learn and develop as much as I can, and I feel like Rangers is the perfect place for me to do that."

Head coach Leanne Crichton is delighted to add to her goalkeeping options for the remainder of the 2025/26 season.

"We're delighted to bring Soffia to Rangers on loan," she added.

"She's a goalkeeper with strong qualities, good presence, and a real hunger to compete at such a young age.

"This move gives us added competition and depth in the goalkeeping department, and we're confident she'll continue to grow as a player during her time here."

Image source, Georgia Reynolds/Glasgow City FC

Glasgow City have signed midfielder Emily Gray from Utah Royals in her native United States and Aston Villa's Lydia Sallaway who joins on loan until the end of the 2025/26 season.

Gray, who has signed until summer 2027, has spent the last two seasons on loan in Denmark with Odense Boldklub then Pitea in Sweden.

18-year-old Sallaway joins from WSL side Villa on a temporary basis to bolster Leanne Ross' options for the remainder of the campaign.

Gray told City's website she is delighted to sign for the Scottish Women's Premier League leaders as they are "a great club with a lot of great history in this league".

Having played with City forward Nicole Kozlova for college team Virginia Tech Hokies, she had "heard nothing but great things about the city itself" as well as the club.

Gray, who was capped at under-20 level by USA, arrives having made 24 appearances, scored six goals and contributed with five assists as Pitea finished ninth in the Swedish top flight.

City head coach Leanne Ross added: "Emily is a player we have admired for some time.

"She is technically very good and will help bring an extra threat to our attacking play."

Gray's arrival comes on the day City face Hibernian in the Sky Sports Cup semi-final being shown live on BBC Alba (17:15 GMT kick-off).

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The SWPL Cup final will be played at Motherwell's Fir Park on Sunday, 29 March with a 15:00 GMT kick-off.

It is the second consecutive season Fir Park hosts the final, having welcomed more than 4,000 fans to last year's showpiece.

The semi-finals take place this weekend with holders Rangers hosting derby rivals Celtic at Broadwood on Sunday.

Current league leaders Glasgow City visit reigning champions and last season's SWPL Cup runners-up Hibs on Saturday.

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South Africa international Linda Motlhalo has signed a new Glasgow City contract keeping her at the club until the summer of 2027.

The midfielder was part of the 2022/23 title winning squad before leaving to join NWSL side Racing Louisville in January 2024.

She returned to Glasgow a year later and put pen to paper on a deal running until the summer of 2026.

This season Motlhalo has been a key part of Leanne Ross' squad who sit top of the SWPL and has made 21 appearances across all competitions.

"I have extended my stay in Glasgow because I have always said that it is a home," she told club media, external.

"We are a family here more than anything, and that is important for me. The biggest thing is happiness, and I'm happy here so that's why I wanted to stay.

"What do I hope to achieve? It's very simple – it's about winning the league. That's the biggest thing for me.

"Last season, we came up short when in the cup competitions, so winning those cup games has to be the aim for us now, as well."

Lauren Perry (Montrose): Although the Montrose goalkeeper didn't keep a clean sheet, she put in a serious shift to keep the score down. Celtic had 24 shots, seven of which were on target, and Perry made five saves over the 90 minutes at New Douglas Park. Keeping goal difference down could be crucial in the race for top six.

Emma Brownlie (Glasgow City): Despite City conceding a late goal against Rangers, the defender looked composed for much of the game at Petershill Park.

Rachael Boyle (Hibs): A clean sheet and a goal for the veteran defender, you can't ask for much more from your captain.

Erin Husband (Hearts): The youngster is becoming a go-to player for Eva Olid and constantly proves herself at the highest level. Another clean sheet to add to her CV this weekend as Hearts closed the gap to Rangers to one point with a game in hand.

Mya Christie (Aberdeen): The 21-year-old is cementing herself as quite the super sub. This time, she came on to score the winner for Aberdeen and help them to a hugely important three points in the race for top six.

Ciara Grant (Hibs): Grant continues to prove her importance in the middle of the park for Hibs and on Sunday she topped a solid performance with a goal.

Hannah Stewart (Aberdeen): The captain coming up trumps for Aberdeen yet again as she got the Dons up and running against Motherwell.

Maria McAneny (Celtic): How many times is McAneny going to score a vital goal for Celtic? This one came in the second half against a tricky Montrose side as Grant Scott's side moved into second in the table.

Calliste Brookshire (Rangers): Scored a crucial goal at a crucial time for Rangers as her stoppage-time leveller stopped leaders Glasgow City from moving further ahead at the top of the SWPL table.

Eilidh Adams (Hibs): The Hibs striker doing what she does best, scoring goals. She scored two on Sunday as the Edinburgh club picked up their first victory under new head coach Joelle Murray.

Lisa Forrest (Glasgow City): Played the cross that Rangers defender Laura Rafferty turned into her own net and caused problems all afternoon with her desire to get up the pitch.

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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There's no bigger SWPL game this weekend than the top -of-the-table clash between Glasgow City and Rangers at Petershill Park.

Leanne Ross' City side are sitting comfortably at the top for now, seven points clear of the Old Firm

To narrow that gap Rangers will have to do something no team has been able to do in the league this season - beat Glasgow City.

Of City's 15 games, they have won 13 and drawn two. Impressive stuff.

Rangers are buoyed by their win over champions Hibs last weekend but will have to be at the top of their game to take the three points on Sunday.

A Rangers victory would also have ramifications elsewhere. Celtic could edge closer to the top but they have a tough test against Montrose.

Craig Feroz's side are sixth in table and have already held Hibs to a draw this season.

Elsewhere Hearts - who host Partick Thistle - are just three points off the Old Firm with a game in hand.

Also on Sunday, bottom side Hamilton travel to Hibs while Aberdeen host Motherwell.

How to follow on BBC

Celtic v Montrose is live on BBC Alba - and the BBC Sport website an app - when it kicks off at 13:10 GMT on Sunday.

That's followed by Glasgow City v Rangers, live on the BBC Sport website and app with a 16:10 kick-off.

There will also be match reports from all five games on the BBC Sport website and app and you can watch highlights on Monday night on BBC Scotland from 19:30.

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

Emma Thomson (Motherwell): The Motherwell goalkeeper returned to the club, on loan from Hearts, on Saturday and was thrown in at the deep end against title challengers Celtic. Despite conceding twice, the youngster made five saves and kept the score down.

Eilidh Austin (Rangers): Assisted Rangers' first goal against Hibs at a crucial point in the match, right before half-time, and was unlucky not to have set up a couple more.

Claire Walsh (Celtic): Got her first goal for Celtic in a narrow victory over Motherwell, not bad from a centre-back.

Scarlett Herron (Hibs): Despite her team's defeat, Herron put in a shift at the back, particularly when they went down to 10 players.

Lisa Evans (Glasgow City): Swung in the cross for City's opening goal against Thistle and kept a clean sheet at the back. Can't ask for much more from your full-back.

Morgan Cross (Celtic): The Scotland youth international has been such an important player for Celtic since joining in the summer of 2024. She proved her worth yet again with an assist for their second goal.

Amy Anderson (Glasgow City): The midfielder scored twice as City eased past Thistle to keep their seven-point lead at the top of the SWPL.

May Cruft (Rangers): The Ibrox youngster is turning into quite the player. She found the back of the net with a lovely strike from the edge of the box right on half-time to put Rangers in the driving seat for the second half.

Katie Wilkinson (Rangers): Of course the Rangers was on the scoresheet once again. Wilkinson is proving such an important part of this Rangers side.

Kathleen McGovern (Hibs): Having been out for two months with an injury, the striker looked like she'd never been away as she came off the bench with less than 15 minutes to play and netted a cracking strike from distance.

Saoirse Noonan (Celtic): Another striker coming up with goals when her side need it most. Noonan got the second of Celtic's two goals against Motherwell to keep pace with Rangers and keep pressure on leaders City.

Image source, Colin Poultney/SWPL

Montrose striker Kaela McDonald-Nguah has been named the SWPL player of the month for December.

Craig Feroz's side have made a strong start to the season and McDonald-Nguah has played a pivotal role in helping the side climb into the top six of the table, four points off Hibernian.

The 25-year-old's performances in December included an impressive showing against champions Hibernian as the side earned a valuable point at home.

The striker then scored the equaliser the following week as Feroz's side had to fight back once again to earn a point on the road against Hamilton Academical.

They next return to action with an away trip to Celtic on January 25.

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The SWPL is back from its winter break for the first round of fixtures of 2026. Although there's only three games, there's plenty of drama on the cards.

Rangers welcome defending champions Hibs to Broadwood on Sunday as Joelle Murray takes charge of her first league match as head coach.

Murray's tenure began last weekend with a 3-2 Scottish Cup defeat to Celtic, who coincidentally had Grant Scott in charge for the first time since his move from Easter Road.

"There was some nice stuff [against Celtic] it's just being consistent with that stuff and being consistent across the 90 minutes," Murray said after her side's Scottish Cup exit.

"Every game I want to win regardless of whether it's a game at training, a Scottish Cup game, a league game.

"We need to now get our focus on the league and really try and make the performance a complete one."

The title already looks too big an ask for Hibs - they're 13 points behind leaders Glasgow City after 14 games.

Rangers are in the mix as they occupy second place, seven points off the top and level with Hearts and Celtic.

The Ibrox side cruised past SWPL 2 Kilmarnock 6-0 to reach the Scottish Cup quarter-finals and head coach Leanne Crichton insists here side "can't take our oot off the gas".

Elsewhere, Partick Thistle host leaders Glasgow City in the Petershill derby while Celtic are away to Motherwell.

How to follow on BBC

Rangers v Hibs is live on BBC Alba - and the BBC Sport website and app - on Sunday and kicks off at 16:10.

There will also be match reports from all three games on the BBC Sport website and app and you can watch highlights on Monday night on BBC Scotland from 19:30.