The Eagles needed to deliver, and deliver they did.
Palace set the tone early on, with Annabel Blanchard and Molly-Mae Sharpe going close, but it was Shanade Hopcroft who opened the scoring.
With 25 minutes on the clock, Lewes managed to clear their lines – but only as far as Hopcroft.
She chested the ball, flicked it over a Lewes defender, and struck it on the half-volley.
The ball whistled into the roof of the net, and Hopcroft was mobbed by her Palace teammates.
Voted as the Barclays Women’s Championship Goal of the Month for April, it was a goal worthy of winning a title.
