This Saturday the L1s took on St Ives 2s. The teams know each other well as they have been in the same league for a number of seasons now, and with Souths winning streak and St Ives…well, losing streak, the only outcome of the match that the South girls would accept was a convincing win to bag the three points.

“Play our game,” “composure on the ball,” “be patient,” captain Robs commanded from the girls in the pre-match team talk.

First half there was a lot of pressure from South, predictably St Ives stacking all eleven players behind the ball making it very congested in their twenty-three. Numerous attempts of circle penetration were constructed; the girls tried and tried again but weren’t able to find the back of the net or even a foot in the D.

Nil-nil at half time.

Second half, things looked a lot better. Four goals, lots of attacking short corners, good linking play and strong transfers around the back. Here are the highlights:

Goal 1. Thirty-five minutes of goalless hockey was not what the L1s set out to do. After spending the opening few minutes in the St Ives D, the first goal finally came from Saz who reverse hit the ball straight into the goal. Finally South relaxed: they were ahead. One-nil and the goals kept coming.

Goal 2. The Wonder Goal from Katie Gibson. South were rewarded for some lovely linking play getting the ball out of their own half, all the way up to Katie who skinned a couple of players to take on the keeper one-on-one. Beautiful strike from Katie, she was congratulated by the sound of the ball hitting the backboard. Two-nil.

Goal 3. With no short corners won in the first half South were keen to capitalise in the second half. It was during one of these short corners that Kim instructed Alice to, ‘Come over and set up the “fake” second castle.’ How St Ives didn’t hear is a wonder, but in any case this is what lead to Kim getting crowned Lemon of the Match. Kim was absolutely shocked that she managed to get LoM when skipper Robs missed a sitter at the top of the D with a spectacular swing and a miss. The third goal of the match came from Alice from another short corner. Repeating to herself what Dave was telling her at training, ‘Head over the ball, head over the ball,’ she nailed a beautiful flat shot into the goal. Three-nil.

Goal 4. With all the usual injectors subbed when the penalty corner was awarded, Robs asked the girls left at the top of the D, ‘Anyone comfortable pushing out a flat ball?’ Nope was the answer. No fear, Robs decided she would give it a go despite it not working so well for her in training. It is harder than it looks. A quick shout to the top of the D, ‘This may or may not work,’ Robs pushed it out straight to Laura who slipped it left to Alice who passed back to Robs, free on the baseline to slot it past the keeper from a tight angle. Four-nil.

It maybe wasn’t South’s prettiest of performances but a win is a win, and this win took the girls nine points clear at the top of Div 2NW.