Fresh-faced from break week, we were primed for action and a spellbinding performance against Haverhill, for a crucial three points to secure our now-seventh place in the league. However, more importantly, we needed to wrap the game up ASAP with a win to really get us pepped up for the night’s spooky social… Asking a group of women to be ready to look like the living dead within an hour really is an ambitious request.

The arctic conditions and late start really took its toll on the girls’ dead minds. Hannah tried to buy her parking ticket from a bin, Olivia thought it was a great idea to warm up still carrying her backpack then play the first half of the game shinpadless (Olivia, are you training for some hardcore military operation we don’t know about?) Then Janette and Maria both thought a sit down in the middle of the game was required and Tuffers ONLY scored three goals. It seems the days of double-digit victories are long behind us.

The girls had a wonderfully strong start when, less than ten minutes in, Tuffers grabbed her first wicked slice of goal-pie. In such strong spirits, and with some splendorous passing along the wings, Lauren C’s textbook drive up the right wing, like magic, beautifully set up Tuffers’s anticipation on the flick spot to smash a cheeky second goal in. Proof that sometimes we do actually listen at training when not gossiping. Emily’s strong positioning and press formation helped to gel the team up front and Hayley was making some spooktacular tackles and stealing the ball off Haverhill. All in all, the 3s were killing it and two-nil up at half time had us in high spirits.

The second half saw the tactics slightly deviate in the team along the backline, inspired by the genius of Lydia, who secretly wanted a bit more action as frostbite was setting her with her stood in goal. After Tuffers secured her hat-trick for the game, Hannah thought it was a great idea to practise her whale calls in an effort to scare off the opposition, a ploy which was quickly imitated across the rest of the back line.

Janette won her Lemon award for a lay down in a manner of protest in front of the opposition when they came near and ready for battle, chanting that she’d be on strike until they gave the ball back to her. Even Haverhill’s goalie thought his was a great idea, as she decided to lie down and crawl about for about five minutes like a zombie. Ultimately these tactics worked and Lydia got in some paranormal saves, securing herself tied MOM alongside Lauren C for her terrifying tackles. Unfortunately, the plan slightly backfired when Haverhill managed to get a ghoulish goal in the last five minutes, bringing the final score up to three-one.

With MOM votes divided across six different players, it was clear how hard the team as a whole worked in the match. So, after our tumultuous victory we had the tightest turnaround known to man to gore-up and get ready for the social. Ultimately, the L3s’ experience of Halloween was summed up in blood (and lots of it), (alcohol) sweats, and the tears of Laurie’s victims who were subjected to being prodded by her very large stick. #teambonding