HELEN Bleazard praised the collective efforts of her [Cherries](http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/cherries/clubnews/?ref=au) squad as they defeated Oxford, saying their defensive performance was why they came away from the Vitality Stadium with three points.
Bournemouth beat Oxford 2-1, thanks to goals from Charlotte Harris and Sophie Quirk in the first half.
Oxford scored as the game entered stoppage time at the end of the 90 minutes, but Bournemouth held on for three points that moved them back to the top of the National League Southern Premier Division.
The Cherries were able to keep their visitors firmly at arm’s length throughout the game, with the Oxford goal coming from a corner.
Asked about how pleased she was with the defensive showing from her side, Bleazard told the Daily Echo: “I said in the huddle at the end, we've won the game through individual moments, but actually we've won the game defensively today.
“And I've always said, whether you start the game or finish the game, it was as a squad. We've seen it all season, but I think this was a real togetherness and the fact that we had to use all of our subs, but we needed to.
“When they came on, they were brilliant as well. So I think it was a real team performance today.”