BOREHAM WOOD, England (Interstat) — In a commanding Women’s FA Cup display that defied pregame projections, Boreham Wood FC delivered a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Crawley Town FC on Saturday at Mangata Developments Stadium Meadow Park.

The home side’s attack was clinical, while the match was marred by a flurry of disciplinary actions, including a first-half red card that left the visitors chasing the game with 10 men for the entirety of the second half.

The result was a stark reversal of the statistical forecast. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a narrow 1-0 win for Crawley Town, while its ELO system gave Boreham Wood a 69.4 percent probability of victory. The home side’s performance ultimately aligned more closely with the latter expectation, securing a dominant win to advance in the competition.

Boreham Wood established an early lead and never relinquished control. The opening goal came in the ninth minute from forward Matt Rush, setting the tone for the home side’s assertive start.

The match’s complexion shifted dramatically just before halftime. In the third minute of first-half stoppage time, Boreham Wood substitute Ryan Loft was shown a yellow card and then immediately a red card, reducing his side to 10 men. Despite this setback, Boreham Wood’s defense held firm.

Any hope Crawley Town had of capitalizing on its numerical advantage was extinguished in the 72nd minute when forward Abdul Abdulmalik found the net, doubling Boreham Wood’s lead and effectively sealing the result.

The scoring was capped by midfielder Zak Brunt, who converted a goal to complete a standout individual performance. Brunt also contributed an assist, making him the only player on the pitch directly involved in multiple goals.

The match was a physical, stop-start affair, with the referee’s book seeing constant action. Nine yellow cards were issued in addition to Loft’s sending off. The disciplinary issues began early, with a flurry of cautions for Max Anderson, Josh Flint and Dion Conroy all occurring within the first 14 minutes. Charlie Barker, Zak Brunt, Louis Flower, Cameron Coxe and Harry Forster also received yellow cards throughout the contest.

Boreham Wood’s victory was a collective effort, with the substitutes bench playing a significant role in the team’s offensive output. Besides Loft’s eventful cameo, substitutes Harry Forster, Charlie Barker, Josh Flint, Max Anderson and Louis Flower were each credited with an assist. Midfielder Cameron Coxe also tallied an assist from the starting lineup.

With the win, Boreham Wood FC begins its Women’s FA Cup campaign with a perfect 1-0 record in the competition and improves to 1-0 across all competitions this season. For Crawley Town FC, the loss marks an 0-1 start both in the FA Cup and in all matches this season. The team will look to regroup after an opening performance that fell well short of pregame simulations.