Rugby Town U8s vs. Mountsorrel U8s
22nd October 2023
Team Sponsors: Kelsy Living and Life Investment EstateAgents
Rugby was at home hosting Leicester’s Mountsorrel U8s. The team this week was made up of Ada, Flossie, Paige, Primrose, Maisie F, MaisieB, Charlotte, Phoebe, and Sophie
With the good squad turnout, Rugby was able to switch out larger groups of subs to change the team dynamic up a few times.
The first half started with Phoebe, Sophie, Ada, and Maisie B plus Paige in goal. The opposition started out strong and was demonstrating good passing which initially seemed to catch Rugby off-guard, meaning Paige had to be on her toes. Paige really showed growth, coming out to meet the attack closing off the angles to the goal, and handling the ball confidently.
Soon enough, the Rugby girls settled down and made their own show of thoughtful passing between Phoebe and Sophie and solid defending by Anna and Maisie, turning the game around and pushing pressure on the opposition. Ada made a lovely long run whilst fending off her marker.
Sophie made a great show upfront, supported by Phoebe who both made good attacking runs, whilst Maisie B was a solid defence making strong tackles and not giving up or backing away from her mark. There was also some nice positional play from rugby on a very attacking corner
It was an ‘all change’ substitution with Primrose, Flossie, Maisie F, and Charlotte coming on which allowed for an injection of energy to the team. You could tell the girls had been itching to get their chance on the pitch.
Flossie was showing some great defending and Maisie was particularly persistent with her marking, and both of them made some good runs after winning the ball, as well as linking up with Charlotte to win a series of corners.
Primrose was demonstrating a very knowledgeable understanding of her role in defense, reading the incoming attacks and cutting them off really well. She also never gave up and seemed to spring up out of nowhere over and over again to frustrate the opposition attacks.
Up till this point, the match was pretty even, but Rugby seemed to level up their teamwork. It was clear how well they were working together and were pinning the opposition in their own half for an extended period. By half-time, the balance was certainly tipped in Rugby’s direction.
Into the second half, it was a big change again, back to the original lineup except Primrose now took a turn in goal and Paigeoutfield. Maisie B continued to be a fantastic defender and never stopped chasing the incoming attacks.
There seemed to be an injection of energy from both teams and the pace of the game stepped up. Primrose showed her usual running prowess, covering large distances so quickly Floss and Paige were tackling well and Charlotte was demonstrating the importance of marking.
Maisie F came on in goal in an intense period of attack from the visitors, but she held her own and did really well. Ada was having a fantastic game, running, tackling, and pushing over and over again as a constant presence in the latter part of the game. Sophie was also able to come back on for a period and took up her forward position, making some successful runs.
What a fantastic team shown by the girls today. They worked so well together, and there were plenty of players who deserved recognition. They should all be very proud of their performance.
Players of the match:
Coaches – Maisie B for her fantastic defending
Parents – Ada for her perseverance in tackling and runs
Players – Primrose for her running, defending, and time in goal.