A weekend of missed opportunities saw L1s lose a well-fought league battle against a strong Bromley & Beckenham team on Saturday, while despite the efforts of the squad’s young guns, they were knocked out of the cup at the hands of Surbiton 2s.
Spirits were high after three league wins on the trot, but turnovers in the Southgate 25 proved costly as Brom-Beck capitalised on two uncharacteristic errors slotting goals each time.
Add to that 12 unconverted PCs, a post or two getting in the way, other missed chances going wide or just past a stick, Saturday’s game saw Southgate dominance and possession but a failure to get the job done.
However, the fact the team fought back to the very end and even managed to get one back is credit to the mental toughness that continues to get stronger each time L1s takes to the pitch.
Jennie Stephens eliminated several players to find Frankie Cox on the back post to produce the goal to close the gap but it wasn’t enough.
Player of the match performances were put in by Bobbie Burkin who had a solid game in defence with several crucial jab tackles to break down the play, and to Carla Johl who had a field day up front eliminating the BB defence left, right and centre.
Young guns step up in cup defeat
Sunday afternoon saw L1s in first round cup action against West Conference leaders Surbiton 2s. With several regular players out of action, there was a chance for performance squad members to step into the thick of things with ease.
Charlotte Childs proved vital in the midfield picking up player of the match and huge congratulations go to U16s Hermione Kay, Chaela Lambrias, Sofia Martin and Hattie Shrimpton for making their first team debut.
Emily Ruffell-Hazell slotted the ball home after a great passage of play to ensure Southgate went into the half-time break 1-4 down. In the second half, after several PCs and shots at goal the L1s had their second, and the final goal of the match, from a penalty corner that Emily Meredith executed well from a classic left slip.
The result means Southgate will now challenge for the plate title.