Ladies' 1sts claim their first win of the season

The ladies' 1s travelled to St Ives to start their match in the sunshine this Saturday. That sounds simple, but with two players hot-footing it out after doubling up 2s in Cambridge, two stuck behind the cyclists of the Tour de GB, one missing on Grange Road and the rest of us nearly waylayed in a pile-up on the A14, it really wasn't... Add to this that we were coming out after two heavy defeats with a team changed yet again, and it is even more impressive that South dominated the match from the start. Good communication, strong passing and a real determination to win every ball meant most of the game was played in the opposition half. The 3-4-3 formation provided strength in midfield and Lauren, Lindsey and George passed the ball around, maintaining possession as a consequence. The first half goal came from penetrating run and pass from Lindsey that found it's way to Serin who decisively finished it.

A second half switch saw old 2nd team-mates Bex and Sam reunited on the right with Bex leading some great pressure deep in the opposition half, despite the fact that St Ives had brought their strongest players back into defence. St Ives, were a strong team with plenty of subs and our team tired a little so there was plenty of defensive work to do. That started in the opposition half with Alice running a tight press and continued further back with tight marking and a consistent spoiling of St Ives' attacks (notably by new girl Lou's great performance) so overall Loopy in goal had remarkably little to do. Gaining confidence, South started to run with the ball, passed well and put a lot more pressure on the Saint's D than was reflected in the score line. Once again, it was usual defender Serin, demonstrating commendable composure in the circle, who scored from the left post after the ball rebounded around the circle from a number of sticks.

Overall, an awesome turn-around for the team. There is plenty to work on (fitness, receiving passes cleanly, working the ball effectively around the circle) but from this base of enthusiasm, good communication and good possession play, we can hope to make this result typical for the season. The man of the match award went to Lauren who was a brilliant play-maker in the midfield. She will be much missed when she goes back to South Africa next week!

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