3rd April 2022, KO 11:00
Team – Emilia, Emy-Mae, Esme, Evie, Phoebe, Sienna W, Sienna M, Alexis
Sponsor – Lightning Tools
Today we traveled to Ambleside in Nuneaton for a late-morning match. With a full squad, we were ready to give it our all. Starting formation saw Phoebe in goal, Emilia defense, Emy-Mae and Sienna W. in midfield, and Sienna M. as our center-forward. Esme, Evie, and Alexis waited patiently to be substituted at the first opportunity.
The first half started with a very strong Rugby Town side, immediately getting involved and putting a ton of pressure on Ambleside. Emy-Mae and Sienna W. moved the ball forward to Sienna M., who on multiple occasions caused the opposition defence a headache.
Sienna M. was non-stop energy, so much that she unusually needed a reprieve, albeit well deserved. Alexis came on for Sienna M., continuing to add to Rugby’s positive play. Emilia did well to keep the ball out of our end, also taking the opportunity to overlap midfield up the wing to attack. However, after an unfortunate clearance on the top of our box which resulted in a backward deflection over Phoebe.
Evie and Esme were brought on to give Sienna W. and Emilia a break, with Alexis moving to defence, Evie and Esme on the wings. Esme and Evie really put in the hard work, pushing up the wings to get the ball back to the center for Sienna M. Rugby stayed consistent for the remainder of the half, preventing any further success for the opposition.
The second half began with similar energy to the start, with Rugby starting to gain some advantage. Continued forward pressure from Sienna W. and Alexis gave Rugby plenty of nervous expectations. With Sienna W. finally calming the nerves. With about a quarter remaining, Phoebe swapped with Emilia in goal, to give her a chance to put some field skills into practice. Phoebe started off immediately with a forward attacking opportunity, which gave her some confidence to continue the pressure. However, it was at this point that Ambleside’s formation and passing were really starting to become more poignant, while Rugby’s formation fell to old habits. Our eagerness to watch the ball and lose track of the open players led the play to be driven by Ambleside.
Overall, Rugby Town held possession a large majority of the match against a sharp Ambleside squad, and we had more chances taken that just didn’t come to fruition. No disappointment in our team’s performance, as the energy was there and the girls really put in a great show, per usual. Positioning and keeping to our formation was not bad, though still a work in progress.
Player of the Match – Phoebe, playing what might have been her best performance to date. On many occasions Phoebe came off her goal line, challenging attackers, and deflecting or saving nearly everyone.
Parent’s player– Sienna M., for running her socks off again, putting loads of pressure on the opposition’s defense, driving forward with loads of attacking opportunities, and coming back to defend when the team needed it.