Team: Charlotte B, Natacha, Freya, Jasmine, Hannah, Charlotte M, Manon & Charlotte T
The girls were eager to play and had been entered into the ‘A’s tournament as the girls have been performing well and were ready for a challenge. We were placed in a group with Fullbrook, Gordon’s, SJB and BDB and only 2 teams would progress through into the semis.
The first game we faced SJB, the girls started strongly and put SJB under some pressure with some fast paced attacking play. SJB broke through once and managed to net their shot with some clinical shooting. It was a very even game but what separated the two teams was some accurate shooting from the SJB GA and GS. It was clear however that the wind was to play a factor in the day. Lost 4-0.
The second game we were against BDB. It was a close game, with both sides having opportunities. In the end, Hannah adjusted well to the wind and netted a shot to put us in the lead. BDB struggled against the conditions and the girls had more chances to finish them off. There were no more scores in the game and we walked away 1-0 victors.
The third game was against Fulbrook. They only came with 6 players and decided to remove their GK. This gave our attacking group enough time and space to make a number of moves into the shooting circle. Hannah and Charlotte worked well together to make sure the player advantage was not wasted. They managed to deal with the strong winds and place their shots into the net. Fullbrook were quick when attacking but the extra work of being a player down meant they were never in control. They managed to score 1 breakaway goal, otherwise the defence held strong and mopped up any attack that came their way. Won 5-1.
The final game was against Gordon’s and against the wind. The girl’s gave Gordon’s a great game a few weeks back in the league and were ready to continue that form in the tournament. With the wind Gordon’s were able to attack quickly and it meant our defence had to throw and move harder and faster to get the ball forwards. Gordon’s were accurate with their shots and managed to score a couple. Lost 5-0.
We did not qualify for the semis but the girls did very well and are competing in games against some established schools coming in third to SJB and Gordon’s in our pool. The future looks good and I’m sure they will continue to improve through the years.