Bristol City Women truly have a gem on their hands in Lexi Lloyd-Smith. The English striker sits third in the Barclays Women’s Championship in goals scored (8), which also sees her leading the club. With 10 goals across all competitions, her incredible form has garnered international attention.
Back in February, the 22-year-old received a call-up to the England women’s under-23 side coached by Emma Coates. She was selected for the 25-player squad for two home matches against Germany and France. She came on against Germany in the 72nd minute.
Lloyd-Smith has earned another call for April’s international window with the ladies set to face Spain on Thursday, April 3, in Murcia, Spain. The WU23 European competition finals will feature nine other nations. It was enhanced to feature a group stage and finals stage to provide more playing opportunities for development players. The set of friendlies aims to bridge the gap between pathway and senior international football.
“My run of form is amazing right now. From being in and out of the squad at Southampton to being consistently in the starting lineup and performing each week feels amazing,” she said. “I’m literally getting the benefits of it each week by learning each game and making those mistakes, but being able to come into training and fix them.”
She gives a lot of credit to Bristol City for the warm embrace and for cultivating an environment that puts players first. “I’ve had the best time ever, I can’t fault nothing here,” she detailed about the club. The girls, staff, city… It’s felt like home. It’s felt like a big family from the beginning.”
So far in her debut season, her favorite goal was her header against Charlton Athletic, but her most memorable was surely her home goal against Blackburn. “The match was a tribute to my brother,” she began. “To be able to do that on that day with all that pressure and my family present. I can’t even explain.”
With League Cup and FA Cup dreams over, the Robins have three matches remaining to focus on: Portsmouth, Sunderland, and Durham.
Learn more about Lexi Lloyd-Smith.
-Jon Jones
Photo: Courtesy of Lexi Lloyd-Smith for story