Watford Ladies lost 2-0 to Portsmouth in the FA Women's National League Cup the week after beating the same opposition in the league.

The Golden Girls ran out 2-1 winners in their league opener, with two goals from Helen Ward.

However, they failed to hit the target in their cup clash and were beaten 2-0 in extra-time following a goalless 90 minutes.

Goals from Tamsin de Bunsen and Rebecca Bath proved to be the difference in the end and mean that Watford will compete in the FA WNL Plate instead of the cup.

The Ladies' head coach Armand Kavaja made seven changes to the side that won the week before with summer signing Ryah Vyse handed a debut.

Emma Beckett and Ocean Rolandsen made their first starts for the Hornets after coming off the bench in the previous match.

Skipper Helen Ward was placed on the bench and Andrea Carid wore the armband in her place.

After a placid opening half-hour, Nina Wilson had to make the game's first real save as she denied bath in a clear goalscoring situation after she had been picked out by Jade Widdows.

The Golden Girls then managed to get the ball into the Pompey net, when Katie O' Leary put the finishing touch to a cross from Carid, but she was ruled to be offside and so the goal was chalked off.

Ward was introduced for the second period, but even her introduction could not break through the resolute Portsmouth defence.

Hannah Haughton denied Carid after a cross from Ward, before blocking the same player's shot on a tight angle.

Neither side were able to find the goal to win the game, with de Bunsen coming close for the hosts on the 90 minute mark, so extra-time was needed.

The deadlock was soon broken when de Bunsen made no mistake with a long range effort that left Wilson without hope of keeping it out.

Moments later a controversial decision saw Pompey double their lead.

Bath's shot appeared to have been kept out by Wilson, but the officials deemed it to have crossed the line and awarded the hosts with goal number two of the match.

An injury to a Watford player after all three substitutes had been made meant the Golden Girls finished with just ten on the field, which made the task even more difficult and the game finished 2-0 to Portsmouth.