31st October 2021
Squad: Phoebe, Esme, Emilia, Sienna M, Sienna W
Sponsor: Lightning Tools
On Halloween, we had a long drive up to Asfordby for an early 9:30am start. It was a cold one, and the rain was chucking it down without a single pause. With Asfordby also in light blue, and considering the torrential rainfall, it was decided that all players would keep raincoats on and wear bibs overtop. The match began fairly promptly after a short warmup, to reduce the amount of time in the rain.
We played our usual diamond formation, with Sienna M. at the top as striker, Sienna W. and Esme in midfield, right and left respectively. Emilia in the back as our defender, and Phoebe in goal. Rugby Town kicked off and instantly went on the attack. It was immediately clear that Sienna M. had been placed in the right position as forward, showing impressive skill manoeuvring around Asfordby defenders to give Rugby Town a fantastic early success.
Esme and Sienna W. demonstrated that they have been paying attention in training, as they not only outmanoeuvred Asfordby up the wings, but also knew where to position themselves in space when the ball was controlled by our other player. If Esme ran the ball up the wing to the corner, Sienna W. made some tactical runs up the middle to anticipate the cross into the box. Both midfielders sprinted up the wings numerous times, nearly breaking Asfordby’s defences and keeping the opposition’s goalie on her toes.
Sienna W. was able to break Asfordby’s defences to another Rugby success. Phoebe showed great perseverance, making some excellent saves, despite having the rain in her face for the first half. Asfordby, however, did not make it easy, and managed to break our defences a few times by showing their quick passing ability. Yet, our confident defender, Emilia, timed her tackles well, limiting Asfordby’s successes to a minimum.
On a few occasions, Emilia made attacking runs all the way from our end, one of which to Rugby’s favour. She also hustled back quickly to make sure that Asfordby didn’t take advantage of her absence in defense. It also cannot go without notice, the continued maturity of Phoebe in goal, confident in her goal kicks, and excellent drop kicks up the middle of the pitch.
Despite the lack of subs, and the torrential rain, our U8 girls showed their best performance to date. It’s clear that the last few training sessions have sunk in, as the girls have been exhibiting the skills we’ve been learning. Thanks to our host, Asfordby, for an exciting match. Thanks to our parents for making the effort and withstanding the weather. Looking forward to our next match, which should see Rugby Town with a full squad.
Managers’ Player: Sienna M. for her positive attitude and improved technical skills with the ball, as well as her effort with tackling and attacking.
Parents’ Player: Sienna W. for the intense drives up the wing and positioning into space.