Sunday 6th February 2022
Squad: Ellie, Tash, Ava, Sophie, Sophia K, Sophia W (C), Rosie, Kelsey, Izzy, Ella, Cara
Sponsor – Lisa Collins Hair Design
A somewhat depleted squad of 11 took a drive up the M1 to Loughborough today. The rain stopped but the wind was unpredictable and blew bitterly. A heavy pitch and a need to collect some points put the pressure on the Rugby team from the off.
First half
Early pressure from Loughborough was handled without drama by Rugby as they moved to more dominant play.
There were several opportunities for Rugby in the opening 20 mins with Kelsey and Tash working well together and both having shots on target saved. Ella also got into the action upfront and gave the keeper some work to do on a couple of occasions.
Rugby opened their account with an excellent strike, courtesy of Tash.
Upon the restart, Kelsey was causing havoc upfront, forcing the keeper to parry her shot and unlucky not to score from the rebound as the ball took some paint off the wrong side of the upright.
A speculative, but impressive lob, from a Loughborough winger, saw the ball just brush Sophia’s fingers as it dipped below the crossbar, bringing Loughborough level.
Rugby was still in command of the game and Kelsey was piling on the pressure, forcing another save and hitting the crossbar with the rebound shot, which was probably detrimental to the spectator’s blood pressures.
The defensive back 4 of Cara, Sophie, Ellie, and Izzy were having a great half, positioning and communication were excellent with clear directions from Sophia in goal. Sophia K and Ava were providing their usually sparkling performance in midfield, demanding possession and providing some excellent through balls to the forwards. Ella and Rosie on the wings were committed and determined and were hugely supportive throughout the game.
Tash, Sophia K, Tash, and Kelsey continued to press hard and forced another 3 saves from the Loughborough keeper. A free-kick was awarded to Rugby, launched upfield by Ellie and Ava, Tash and Kelsey worked well to get the ball forward and in a scoring opportunity, again just unlucky to see Kelsey’s shot just go wide.
Second half
The first 20 mins of the second half mainly saw Rugby dominating the play. Some smart football by Ava paid off, releasing Kelsey to extend Rugby’s lead. Rugby continued to press and Kelsey, maybe frustrating the defenders a little, was brought down by a mistimed tackle, and Rugby was awarded a penalty. Kelsey stepped up to take, but the Loughborough keeper anticipated well and dived to her left to save the shot.
The lack of subs versus the great display of energy by the Rugby team saw Loughborough mount a strong central attack which Rugby struggled to contain and once again they leveled the score.
Rugby was still determined to press high and limit Loughborough attacking opportunities. This was only possible thanks to Ava, Sophia, Ella, and Rosie in midfield who did a fantastic job of regaining and retaining possession and driving the play to the Rugby forwards.
A fantastic run by Kelsey, taking off 4 Loughborough players who were desperate to run her off the ball, made the correct decision and squared the ball perfectly to Tash who had made a great run forward into an excellent position for a calm tap in to take the lead.
Both teams were beginning to tire, and the game slowed a bit. Loughborough was still working to level the score and the Rugby back 4 were being called into action more. Loughborough did well to find a gap, and succeeded in their target to bring themselves level for the third time,
Into the final 10 minutes and the play was fairly even and it looked as if the teams would be sharing the points. However, there was still action to play with Rugby being awarded a corner. Tash struck a great ball that curved towards the goal hit the far post, and bounced into the goal. A great goal for Rugby’s fourth and Tash’s hat trick.
The final minutes saw the last few forays upfront by the Rugby team with one notable shot by Kelsey, again unlucky to see the ball just run wide.
Summary
A great all-around performance from the Rugby U15s. They weathered the 60 min slump and reacted well when the coach asked them to push through.
Some great partnerships were seen, and the team all played smarter football with much more possession and more successful passing than we have seen lately. They should all be proud of their performances today and for collecting a well-deserved 3 points!
Loughborough Foxes 3 – 4 Rugby Town (Tash -3 / Kelsey -1)
POM: Rosie and Ella for some excellent performance on both wings.
Thanks to Brian for running the line and to the parents for braving the long drive and the cold.