Stevenage warmed up for their county cup showdown with Royston Town by beating them in another cup competition.
Boro's 4-2 success at Garden Walk sent them through to the semi-final of the Eastern Region Women's League Cup, one month before the two meet in the Herts Women's Challenge Cup final.
Mathilda Fidler was the catalyst for Stevenage's win this time round, bagging two goals in front of a crowd of 191.
She got started early too with her first coming inside two minutes.
Kelsey Millen showed early attacking endeavour and sent a superb ball through the defence to Fidler who fired the ball low into the net.
But Royston soon settled into the game and after Annie Georgiou had forced Mia O'Brien into a good stop from 25 yards, they got back on level terms.
A corner was only cleared to the penalty spot where Georgia Miller guided a half-volley to the right of the keeper for a very tidy finish.
Better was to come for the Crows when Poppy Smith put them in front, pouncing on hesitation in the defence and sending the ball beyond O'Brien.
Vicky Neal did clear it but not until the officials deemed it had crossed the line.
There had been chances for both teams, Smith stopped by the legs of the Boro keeper while Amy Gooderham was just off target for the visitors.
Stevenage ended the half by restoring parity though.
A free-kick out on the left was fired towards goal by Nicole Farmer and caught Amy Martin out in the Royston goal, the ball landing behind her.
Extra-time would have come into play had the two sides been level after the end of the 90 but that was clearly not a prospect either wanted, as both came out determined after the interval.
The first chance of note fell to Stevenage, Erin Price hitting the top of the crossbar with a header from a corner.
But it was they who got the crucial next goal.
Shianne Swarres lofted a ball over the top for Gooderham to race onto and while her control was good and the shot powerful, Martin was equal to it.
However, she could only parry the ball and Fidler was on hand to guide it back into the empty net.
The contest was then on a knife edge until the cool head of captain Lucy Webster soothed the Stevenage nerves.
Rosy Wodhams took control in the middle of the area before threading it through to the skipper, and she calmly thumped it beyond Martin to seal the win.
Stevenage manager Fadi Mazloum had praise for his two-goal hero.
He said: "I know Tilly’s qualities and we put her in the development squad to get her rhythm.
"I feel like it’s here now with two goals in a game like this and the player of the match award.
"We knew we had the quality, we just needed to work harder than them and it paid dividends."
The county final takes place at the County Ground in Letchworth on April 23.
Royston Town: Martin, Fox-Barker, Georgiou, Page, Houghton, Gunn, Hendricks, Miller, Croucher, South, Smith.
Subs: Lucas, Holt, Todd.
Goals: Miller, Smith
Stevenage: O’Brien, Neal, Farmer, Brooks, Swarres, Price, Bodily, Millen, Nebbitt, Gooderham, Fidler
Subs: Webster, Shephard, Schofield, Wodhams, Hendy
Goals: Fidler (2), Farmer, Webster
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