Sunday 5th March 2023
Squad: Ellie, Olivia, Millie, Poppy, Gracie, Sophie, Norah, Bella, Rishi,
Sponsor: Purely Mortgages and Life Investments Estate Agents
The U10s were in league cup action today and headed over to Saffron Dynamos for an early kick off.
The match started with Sophie up front, Millie, Olivia and Bella in midfield, Poppy and Rishi in defence and Norah in goal.
Rugby moved the ball around well and were confident in their tackles. Millie and Olivia were driving into space and passing the ball well between them. Sophie was working hard to find some great positions up front, Bella seeing lots of action down the right wing and Norah controlling her box well.
Position swap with Bella and Sophie off for Ellie and Gracie. Both subs got stuck straight into the game with Ellie showing off some fine skills and Gracie using her super pace to split the Saffron defence.
Saffron had a great break during the first half and used some fast-flowing football to open the scoresheet.
Although now chasing the game, Rugby continued to press and were soon rewarded by a great pass in from Sophie from the right of the box to a well-placed Millie who slotted the ball past the keeper to level the score.
The girls were listening to their coaches well and the game was generally very well controlled by the visitors. Neither team could break the deadlock and the first half ended level.
Into the second half and more player changes to create attacking opportunities. Rugby had most of the possession and played attacking football. However, the Saffron defence were well organised and kept them at bay. The Saffron keeper made an excellent save from an Olivia strike from distance.
Despite hard work from both teams, the game ended in a draw and being a cup game, it was time to take penalties to decide the winner.
Ellie, Bella and Olivia volunteered as they penalty takers and Norah confidently stepped up into goal.
Ellie took the first penalty and made a very calm and cool conversion. Norah then stepped into goal and saw the Saffron penalty just clip the crossbar and go over.
Bella stepped up for her penalty and delivered a strong shot to increase Rugby’s advantage. Norah now back in goal, bobbing on her feet, and stood firm in front of the penalty taker, kicking the ball clear to send Rugby into the next round.
A fantastic team performance, that gets better each week. A well-deserved win for the Rugby players, who should all be very proud of their efforts. The team picture shows how much it meant to them after some unlucky results recently.
POM: Norah, for being in goal for the penalties. A truly unenviable position. But an excellent job done.
PPOM: Rishi. An excellent performance in defence. She listened to the coaches’ instructions, executed the game plan perfectly and had a fantastic game.
Thank you to Coaches Ellie, Dan, and Kevin. Also huge thanks to the Saffron referee who did a fantastic job.
As always, thank you to the U10 parents for your taxi service and support and to Saffron Dynamos for an exciting game.