ITCHEN Sixth Form College’s women’s football team has made a strong start to the defence of their English Colleges’ Under 19 national title.

They won their first round tie of this year’s competition 13-0.

Itchen have won the ECFA’s national KO Cup in each of the past two years and have high hopes of completing a hat-trick.

Over 100 colleges from all over the country entered last year’s competition, with Itchen hammering Hull’s Wyke College 8-2 at Walsall FC in the final with Millie Farrow scoring six times.

Farrow has since won the FA Women’s Super League with Chelsea Ladies, along with three other ex-Itchen students – Atlanta Primus, Laura Rafferty and Jodie Brett.

The previous year, Itchen beat York College 12-0 in the final at the FA’s St George’s Park training headquarters. Farrow scored eight times on that occasion.

Itchen can no longer draw on the services of the star striker who has now completed her courses at the Bitterne-based college.

In fact, eight members of last year’s squad have left the college, but manager Steve Perkins is delighted with the progress made by the class of 2015.

“We have lost some top quality players, but the new squad looks very promising. Some really talented girls have joined the college and have gelled well with the older players.

“Some of the girls are targeting an American Soccer Scholarship and most of them should receive good offers from US universities. They’ve got exciting futures ahead o