Match report for 2-0 win against Chiswick:

Written by Lily Freeman

We were set to play Chiswick on a very cold saturday and exited to start the second half of the season off with a bang. We had a well thought out plan to arrive an hour and 15 minutes early with a team talk and a good tempo warm up; let’s just say things didn’t go to plan. The traffic didn’t want us to get the three points as many of us didn’t arrive at the time required and we were without a coach.

Luckily, our amazing captain, teacher Susie, steps in with a class performance at the whiteboard and magnets, going through the press and talking tactics. Let’s just say this class performance in the meeting room continued onto the pitch. After a quick jog around the pitch and some stretches whilst watching the Mens 3s against the same oppo, we decided to take a break from hockey and see if we could make a cricket fielding team. Unfortunately, after a game of catch, the tennis ball crushed our dreams at going pro so we decided to do something that we were actually good at (most of the time) which was hockey.
We went onto the pitch and began our warm up, moving from quarter to quarter as the sprinklers once again decided to have a go at taking our three points but once again, the mighty 2s were not deterred.

So we begin! We finally decided to take Ronan’s advice in being calm and building the play from the back line with some excellent out letting from Bobbie and Sheff from the back, some great crash balls from Milly P into the D and some silky skills from our midfield line. We are off to a great start – getting circle entries and passing it around whilst getting short corners and other outcomes. Jennie, however, decided that the game was becoming a bit dull and she decided to switch things up a bit. I guess we can’t always get a last minute goal for three points right? Jess slips a cheeky ball under the defender for Jennie to run top D, skill up another defender to get to the shoulder of the D (because clearly she hadn’t skilled up enough people) and the ball flies across the D and crashes against the backboard from a very clinical backhand swing. 1-0. We rejoice and we go again.

The game continues to go to plan, we keep winning short corners and get unlucky that one of them wasn’t a P flick (yet). On another occasion, we barrel into the D, we go for a shot, the keeper makes a heroic dive and so does a player, and the ball ricochets off someone. A whistle blows. The umpire puts his two hands up. It’s a flick. Jennie, our hero, steps up, calm and collected to the P spot whilst Ronan talks us through the press once again, but we all cannot help but glance at our knight in shining armour poised to shoot.

As predicted, Jennie slots the ball calmly into the bottom of the net on the left hand side and we rejoice again, hoping that we have done enough to keep our 3 points. However, things begin to turn towards the end of the second half. They’re getting through, they’re getting D penetrations, shoes come flying off (*my shoes) and it’s looking like they might get one back. But that wasn’t enough to deter the mighty Gate. They tried to intimidate us with getting into the D and they failed.

They tried to intimidate us by charging into one of our players, they just didn’t realise that they were charging into Olivia Richardson, and that girl won’t go down without a fight. She stands strong, and they go flying, nice try. With all attempts at breaking us failing, once again, Jennie gets bored and decides that she wants a hat-rick. She runs towards the danger zone at the shoulder of the D, draws a foul, swings her stick back to shoot and

… A whistle blows. Short corner. No hat-rick for Jennie. But the show must go on. We continue to bare the freezing cold for a bit longer until the final whistle blows. We go through the usual pleasantries before charging faster than we have ever done on the pitch inside towards the warmth of the changing rooms and a very well needed mac and cheese.

Two games on the spin. 6 points. A class performance from the mighty Gate and another three points for us to crawl up the table and give Wapping a run for their money.

Well played to everyone, particularly to Freya with a great debut, our captain Susie for coming runner up in our MOM votes and to our hero Jennie. She has skills for days and knows how to whack a ball! Most of all, a very very special mention to myself for my special talent of running without a shoe. Whilst Jennie’s way of spicing up a game is scoring bangers, I have to do something within my ability which is always going to be something stupid.

Let’s go again next week.