BEATING THE ODDS

How England's Jess Simpson turns an 'unacceptable draw' into an opportunity towards domination

SPORTS FEATURE by Lani Cayetano

March 7, 2026

Being able to accept defeat in a battle where we put our determination and effort helps us not just to attain peace of mind, but to harvest improvement.   

In the grueling 96-minute clash between England Young Lionesses and the Netherlands Oranje Leeuwinnen in the semifinals of the U23 Women's Soccer 2026, the victory could have been for the Lionesses as they dominated the first 90 minutes, but the committee has decided to grant an additional six minutes or a stoppage time equalizer for the Oranje, leading to a 1-1 draw. 

Despite a missed chance to secure their finals ticket, Jess Simpson, a 21-year-old defender of the Lionesses, proves that this lost opportunity or an 'unacceptable draw', is not an end, but a path towards improvement and domination. 

“It is really a tough result and unacceptable at first, but I am very proud of the girls because I can say that we are already building it now,’ Simpson said. 

Toughing out the negative 

Rather than grieving, he looks for the beauty and bright side of this situation. For her, this moment is not a defeat, but an opportunity that will let them climb to their highest potential and to dominate future challenges. 

"We will go again, learned from this match, and we will use the things that we have learned to smash them when we play again in the semifinals,” Simpson said. 

For her, this moment gives an experience that could be useful not just in their skills, but a mindset that will lead them into triumphs. 

“It also gives us a taste of what it's going to be like in the semis, like the crowd pressure, and this moment will be beneficial for us, so that we learn how to deal with the crowd pressure,” Simpson said. 

In this semifinals draw journey, they learned and accepted it with a full heart and genuineity. But they are hoping that this situation will not happen again, not just for their own benefits, but through the entire soccer community. 

“We learned from it, but we are hoping that it doesn’t happen again, not only in our team, but for the whole soccer field,” Simpson said. 

OTHER RELATED POSTS