Sunderland left Hacked off as Lewes leave it late

After a goalless first half, the game appeared to be heading towards a 0-0 draw, but Hack struck in the 83rd minute to give her side their third win in as many games.

Ahead of the fixture, Sunderland had lost their last three matches, while the visitors had won three of their previous four.

However, nothing could separate the two teams in the opening 30 minutes, with both sides unable to register a shot.

It was the hosts who had the first opportunity when 17-year-old starlet Grace Ede saw her shot blocked in the area in the 32nd minute.

Emily Scarr tried an audacious chip from long range eight minutes after the break, but the attempt floated just over the bar.

Emily Kraft forced Sunderland keeper Claudia Moan into her first save of the afternoon at the other end with a low drive.

The second half was proving to be far more open than the first.

Amber-Keegan Stobbs saw a shot tipped over the bar, and Kraft fired wide as the East Sussex side grew in confidence.

Abby Holmes tried her luck from the edge of the box after good work from Abbey Joice, but she was denied by Lewes goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse.

The breakthrough finally came seven minutes from the final whistle when Hack swivelled in the box to convert a cutback from Rhian Cleverly.

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Lewes’ Paula Howells said: “I think the first half was really difficult, but it was a difficult surface. I think they’ve had a lot of rain here, so it was difficult to get the ball down and play considering we're used to our pitch. It was about all that we had to grind it out, to go in 0-0 at half-time, and then we knew that we had all the work to do in the second half which was going to be tough again, but we did it, so we’re very happy.

“The first half was really difficult to play – our players were complaining of the sun, so it was difficult for our strikers to get on the ball for example. They [Sunderland] probably had a similar situation in the second half, so we knew that we could really capitalise on that and get them going backwards. It definitely opened up - I think they probably had a few tired legs close to full-time, so we probably had that advantage as well. All in all, I think it was a really good game and great to come away with three points all the way up here."

Sunderland’s Brianna Westrup said: “We had some good opportunities in the first half, we built quite well from the back - something that we were keen to do today so the team was quite happy about that at halftime.

"It was not the best result - again conceding off of a set play which, you know, we're trying desperately to tighten up on in training but it didn't fall our way in the end, so we'll just have to park this one and move on.

“Games are won and lost in the box, so set pieces become incredibly important - defensively as well as attacking-wise - If we can get on the end. I think we had almost a couple of half chances on some attacking set plays so if we can tighten it up on the defensive end and hopefully create maybe a bit more on the attacking end then that will only do us well going forward."