2–1 Loss vs Uni 3s

This week’s match report is brought to you by your Lemon of the Game, Libby, after a spectacular pre-match mishap that really set the tone for some elite-level chaos.

During the warm-up, in an effort to be super prepared, I spotted a random hockey ball on the sideline and — instead of picking it up sensibly — decided to dribble it like I was Lucy Bronze. One overly enthusiastic touch later and… I took out Charlotte. Feet tangled, Charlotte down, ankle rolled. Jess performed some quick pitch-side physio, and thankfully Charlotte powered through the warm-up and played brilliantly — with relentless pressure up front and smart pick-ups from the press!

Uni 3s came out firing, and we quickly realised that having so many subs was something we weren’t fully prepared for. With constant rotations, we all felt a little unsettled, and our structure took longer than usual to fall into place. Uni were quick to exploit the gaps, especially through the middle. A couple of sharp breakaways put us under pressure early on, and before we knew it, we were 2–0 down. Despite this, CJ was a rock at the back — super solid defending, even pushing all the way up into attack and finding herself in the attacking D!

At half time, Freya brought out the whiteboard, and we all snapped into focus. From the first whistle of the second half, we were a different team. We ditched the reverse-stick pickups, held the middle much better, and tightened up our shape. We also adjusted our press, with our attackers putting in a stellar effort doing a lot of running. Hannah made some brilliant runs up the wing, creating space and options that kept Uni on their toes. This forced Uni into mistakes and stopped them switching endlessly around the back.

This shift in momentum created far more opportunities. At one point, we even watched the ball roll around the back of their keeper, sit teasingly on the goal line, and still get cleared. We honestly couldn’t believe it didn’t go in.

The final whistle blew just as we were setting up for an attacking short corner. We were still 2–0 down at that point, but everyone was up in the circle, fully committed. A clean injection to Nic, a calm but powerful slap into the bottom right corner — GOAL. A perfect finish to end the match on a high.

Player of the Match: Harry
For some insane birthday play in the middle and stepping in front that was second to none. 

Lemon of the Match: Libby 
For taking out your own teammate before the game even started, general chaos on the pitch, and the whole of Saturday to follow.