Despite starting brightly, L1s could not make early possession count and had to be content with a late equaliser from Emily Meredith

After the mid season break, and a solid performance against a strong Leceister side in our last pre-season game, we were aiming to get the second half of the season off to a good start. We started the first quarter well, demonstrating great tenacity and dominating possession, entering their D more than a dozen times but sadly with no output. We created chance after chance to no avail, with the Ipswich keeper making some excellent saves, but equally, us missing shots and deflections by the post which should have been easy goal scoring opportunities. 

Things got a bit troublesome when Ipswich converted a well-executed penalty corner early into the second half, giving them the lead heading into the final corner. We still continued to dominate play between the Ds, dealing with their rare counters well, only to find a crowded Ipswich D and continued to struggle to convert goal-scoring opportunities into goals. Despite their best efforts to half court and park the bus, we persevered and managed to upgrade play in the attacking D and win a corner. We finally converted a corner with Emily Meredith first to the rebound, slotting in the equaliser. We continued to pile on the pressure but the final whistle came too soon to try and bring home three points.

Worthy performances of mention are Carla Johl and Hannah Kilpatrick; Carla for her exceptional versatility across several lines and composed measured performances, and Hannah for her strength and resilience in midfield, playing through some big hits and providing a vital link between the defensive and forward line, for which she was deservedly awarded player of the match. Some lessons to learn and set plays to practise to ensure we are more clinical and convert those important chances heading into next week’s game against Barnes, a side we are desperate to redeem ourselves against, after our first encounter earlier in the season where we left the pitch bitterly disappointed with our performance.

Report by Clarissa Schilling