The day started well, having picked up the right away kit bag rather than the men’s L-3XL yellow t-shirts we found ourselves playing in a few weeks earlier. It was a lovely sunny and warm day and we were nicely presentable to play in front of our audience, which included friends, boyfriends, fiancés, husbands, parents and children. As it turned out, they chose the right match to come and watch us, and they saw us score our best result in a long time.

Cambridge South L1s clearly dominated in the first half, acing the sharp, quick passes and tackling in pairs that we had been practicing for weeks. Dave would be proud. Good distribution from Kim in the centre-midfield, and connections between the inside forwards (Abi, Robyn Mu and Georgie Howling), and the forwards (Laura, Izzy, Carly and Alice) earned us seven (yes, seven) goals before half time. In the second half of the game, the heat and strong sun started to get to us and we only managed two more goals, and saw the back line (Robyn Mc, Hannah, Maddie, Robyn Mu and Amalia) making a bit more effort. We lost track of the order of all the goals, but this is how they happened:

• Robyn Mc’s: A classic strong slap from the top of the D at a short corner.
• Abi’s: A two-on-one with the keeper, starting with a run into the D by Izzy, who passed it to Abi on the far post, who pushed it in.
• Izzy’s: A reverse-stick drag that went under the goalie, assisted by Kim.
• Alice’s 2: Both lifted shots at goal from short distances, one of which was assisted by Robyn Mu.
• Laura’s 4: The first was a slap into the goal, left corner off a ball passed by Carly from the other side of the D. Then a deflection off a great through ball from Alice. Next, a tap in from a ball back to P-stop from Izzy, who had run through the base-line. To finish, a solo dribble through a defender and round the keeper.

Other things happened in between the goals: Izzy fell a couple of times, Loopy touched the ball once when fetching it from behind the backline and Alice sprayed her water everywhere. At one point Amalia thought she would take a sideline ball from the white football pitch boundary line rather than the yellow line belonging to the hockey pitch we were actually playing on, which fairly earned her LoM. However, she was also chosen MoM for good interceptions and distribution of the ball throughout the game. Overall, a smashing start of the season, and an early placement at the top of the league!