Match Report by Lucy Sheffield
The Women’s 2s always knew it was going to be a big ask to go away to Barnes and win, but that was what we needed to do on Saturday to regain the top of the table position. With the same points and win/loss ratio, we were completely tied at the top of the table, 15 points ahead of next best Wayfarers. I personally have never been so nervous going into a game, and those nerves definitely showed in the first 15 minutes as we gave away 3 short corners in the first 6-7 minutes. However, with a slight settling into the game we started to build, gradually holding onto the ball for longer periods of time. Having defended four short corners against us in the first half, we went into the break for a stern talking to by Ronan.
While initially it didn’t seem to have worked (almost immediately giving away a 5th and 6th short corner) we rallied and fought back to their D with a beautiful bit of skill by Annie to win a short. Knowing exactly what to do, Erin took the short slip and smacked the ball bottom right so that Ella (the Birthday girl) could take us to a 1-0 lead. Those watching said that they felt confident that we, having grown in confidence, looked like we could have held that all important lead. However, 10 minutes later, Barnes snuck one back with an ever-dangerous corner gone wrong. Fighting for the ball in front of goal, their number 11 managed a lucky punt over Miriam, and took us to a draw. Heads down a little, we made the fatal mistake of rushing to make amends, and a second Barnes goal followed in quick succession. But, with classic resilience (as demonstrated throughout this season) we threw ourselves at the Barnes team. With 12 minutes to go, we knew there was still time. Caitlin, playing with a broken hand, stole the ball from the left back, passed through to Jennie, who won the corner. With the confidence of a team who had spent a long time planning the corner, Sydney stepped up and found the bottom corner: 2-2!
When the final whistle came it was a relief for Barnes who celebrated, what they felt, might have been a league winning performance. The 2s girls were gutted – we knew we hadn’t done ourselves justice in the first half, and felt we could have done more.
However, there are some important positives. First, of a possible 6 points, we took 6 from Barnes, leaving them only one. Second, we scored a clinical 2 from 2 short corners – a mark of the hard work we have been putting in. Finally, there are still two games to go, and Barnes can still lose their lead. Man of the match went to Sydney with a stunning work-rate and silky skills, but special mentions to Miriam for her numerous saves, and Traff and Lily for their defensive effort.
