Slazengers Ladies 3s had a home fixture in their penultimate game against a Pickering team with whom they were looking to repeat their success from earlier in the season, when they had been victors in a closely fought battle.
The game started well for Slazengers with the ball finding its way into the Pickering penalty area on a number of occasions. However Slazengers couldn’t find the finishing touch and were unable to capitalise on their early pressure. Pickering began to battle back, with quick fluid passes that eventual resulted in them taking a 0-1 lead. Slazengers made efforts to equalize, but it was not to be when the Pickering attack quickly pushed forward and secured their second goal.
The slazenger half-time team talk had the desired effect, and they came out beginning the second half much as they had the first. Pushing forward they forced a penalty corner within the first 10 minutes. The push out found the stick of Linda Stacey who powerfully struck the ball onto the stick of a Pickering defender, the ball deflected into the path of right winger Louise Beever who pulled one back for Slazengers with a sweep that lifted the ball high into the back of the net. Slazengers kept up the momentum, finding themselves in the Pickering penalty area on a number of further occasions, but yet again, were unable to find the backboard to even out the scoreline.
The 2 goal gap was eventually restored by Pickering. A 1-3 defeat for Slazengers in the end, but they should consider themselves unlucky, in what was overall, an evenly matched game. Player of the match went to forward Lauren Fealy.
