Result: Southgate W2 4 – 1 East London 1
Goal Scorers: Helen Cathcart, Jess Deniff, Freya Moody, Portia Davies
It was always going to be a nervy game for the W2s in our first game of the season. In part, this was down to the fact that we know we should be looking for promotion, having missed out by two points last season. However, also on our minds was the fact that, with such fantastic recruitment over the summer, every player across the performance squad and beyond is here to prove their place. With a slightly shaky start, we found ourselves locked in a 1-1 draw fairly early on, with a solid East London team (down from conference last season) looking to make their mark on the league as well. However this deadlock didn’t last long. With a calm and composed talk from coach Adam, the girls went back out and put 3 more on the board, with Jess D, Helen (perhaps poaching from Jess a little) Freya (still counts even if it was an own goal) and Portia hitting the backboard. The composure and improvement throughout the game bode well for the rest of the season, and a good smattering of MOM votes for a number of players (Kasey, Charlie, Liv R, Liv H, Jess D) demonstrated an excellent team effort. In the end, Kasey took the vote, leading by example from the back. We hope we’ve stamped out intention clearly on the London prem, and away we go for the next game.