Match Reports: 18th & 19th November

Development (1) vs. (9) Sheffield Hallam Development
The Development teams winning start to the season ended abruptly this week, with a 9-1 defeat against Sheffield Hallam. Sheffield came with a well drilled team who dominated throughout, putting Slazenger’s defence under pressure from the start. Slazenger’s were equal to the challenge for the first quarter, but the pressure started to tell with the goals steadily flowing thereafter. The highlight for Slazenger’s was a
solo consolation goal from Seth Hoole midway through the second half, beating several defenders and the keeper to score in the left corner. The young Slazenger team showed great effort throughout and never stopped trying to the end,

Ladies 3rd’s (1) vs. (0) Sheffield Bankers 3rd’s
With both teams undefeated, this was the top of the table clash that Slazenger had been waiting for. Slazenger began confidently and played their own game, initially it looked like a goal would come from the Slazenger forwards Evie, Mia or Massie but despite being the better team in the first half it remained goalless. However, In the opening minutes of the second half Lucy provided a long fast and accurate ball to Maisie who skilfully took it down the right wing and completed what is becoming known as a Maisie special. She hammered the ball in the top of the net at an acute angle putting Slazengers 1.0 up. This created a second half of end to end play with both teams fighting extremely hard for the top of the table.

In the final 15 minutes Bankers upped the anti and Slazengers had to play a more defensive game. This brought out an uncharacteristic, never seen before  performance from centre forward Mia who was forced to drop back to help cover the midfield. Mia actually ran covering parts of the pitch she didn’t know existed in order to retain the 1-0 lead. This assisted the defence, controlled by Minch to stand firm and concentrate on their one to one marking, robust tackles and clearing of the ball. Lauren was forced to make key saves and Lucy had to make a crucial save on the line at the left hand post after a short corner was awarded in the dying moments of the game . Slazengers celebrated when the final whistle went with a 1-0 well fought victory. 

Player of the match went to Maisie, how could you not with that goal. Next week sees Slazenger host the return nail biting fixture.

U12 Girls

U12 A Team (at Wakefield)
U12 1st team were playing in Division 1 at Wakefield. It was another busy day for the team and the squad were complimented with new players Matilda & Ruth who fitted in perfectly to the squad! 

Slazenger (2) vs. (0) Adel
In the first game, against Adel, the girls came out ready to win and were attacking from the start. They had lots of opportunities which were rewarded with a cracking strike from Amelia just inside the D. Rosie was also successful after a number of short corners and found the back board ending in a 2-0 win. The next game was against a determined Thirsk team. Despite the pressure the girls could not convert the goals and Thirsk finally managed a break against the run of play to get one past GK Ami ending the game 0-1. 

Slazenger (3) vs. (0)
The next game saw a slight reshuffle within the team and the girls rose to the occasion. There were some early quick goals from Edie and a great strike from Beth on a short corner which settled the team. The team worked well together and supported each other both in attack and defence. Lorna and Matilda worked tirelessly throughout the game ending with a 3-0 win. 

Slazenger (1) vs. (1) City of York
The last match was against York and the girls knew it would not be an easy game. Lauren and Beth kept the width on the pitch giving opportunities to move the ball out wide and kept the pressure on. The team were quickly rewarded with a goal from a great pass from Rosie and a perfectly timed chip in from Ruth. York were not prepared to let this game go and both teams played end to end hockey with some amazing saves from both keepers but York equalised ending the game in a 1-1 draw.  Thanks to Milsy for coaching and umpiring, Kirsty for the match report and Lisa for score keeping!

U12 B Team
The U12 B team were playing in Division 3 at Ben Rhydding. Some well matched teams today at Ben Rhydding, but Slaz u12s B team came out fighting. Great efforts and team work displayed by the whole team. 

Slazenger (2) vs. (0) Ben Rhydding
Great start to the tournament. Slaz had most possession of the ball most the match. An early goal from Phoebe H set the tone for the match. Lillianna and the defence worked well to stop the opposing team’s attempts at goal, with 2 cracking saves from Lililiana!! The second goal was scored confidently by Eleanor. 

Slazenger (0) vs. (1) Adel 2
Great display of teamwork from Slaz with Phoebe H and Phoebe W showing some good skills in defence. Isabella confidently tackling opposing players and creating some great opportunities for scoring. Unfortunately, Slaz could not find the back of the net in this match. But Adel scored from an unlucky short corner. 

Slazenger (1) vs (0) Leeds
Strong tackling techniques shown by Katie, passing the ball in to open spaces and creating opportunities for Slaz players to control the match. Eleanor & Harriette make some fab runs up the wings, with Darcie battling in mid. Leading to Eleanor scoring the goal.

Slazenger (0) vs. (0) Ben Rhydding
Ben Rhydding can back fighting, but Slaz kept strong with everyone playing great defence and getting back. Some strong attacks and midfield work moving in to spaces to create opportunities. Great saves again from Lillianna. Harriet setting up some goal scoring opportunities for Darcie and Eleanor but we were held to a 0 -0 draw.

Slazenger (0) vs. (0) Adel 2
Fabulous goal keeping skills from Lillianna again during this match, she really comes up trumps when the opposing team manage to slip past our defence, leaving 1 and sometime 2 on 1. Isabella worked hard throughout the match to create opportunities and to take the ball away from opposing players, Phoebe H showing some effortless tackles to take the ball away from Adel with ease. Katie confidently taking possession of the ball being backed up by Phoebe W. Jess and Harriet working hard creating opportunities and assisting to set up attempts at goal.

Slazenger (1) vs. (0) Leeds
Final goal for Slaz’s tournament scored by Eleanor, from a great cross in from Darcie. Strong defence and keeping efforts from Lililanna. Great team work and determination shown by the whole team right to the very end. Lilliana awarded player of the match for her amazing consistent saves throughout the tournament and defeated the other teams attempts at goal even when 2 on 1! Thanks to all the brilliant parents coming to Ben Rhydding again, on the promotion as it’s close! Special thanks to Cath for the match report. 

U12 Boys
The U12 boys were in tournament action today, with us fielding 2 teams for the first time.

U12 Boys A Team
The A team were at Wakefield in League 2, after securing promotion last time out.

Slazenger (0) vs. (0) Doncaster
Our first game was against Doncaster and we were on the front foot from the start, although we could not make the most of the chances we created. Great work throughout the midfield and attack, saw Alfie, Will, Charlie and Owen make some great runs and cause the Doncaster defence lots of problems. We then had a short corner and a great chance to break the deadlock. A nice shot on goal was deflected and after a bit of a goal mouth scramble, the ball fell to Will who put the ball between the goal keepers legs and into the goal, only for the goal to be disallowed, as a lifted ball, which it wasn’t. The umpire even apologised after the game to say it was a harsh decision.  Ultimately we were just not clinical enough in front goal to make it count. On the odd occasion Doncaster caused any threat, Ethan and Ollie stood strong, blocking any attack. As he has been most of the season so far, Nikolai was a spectator, with very little to do, although did well when called into action.

Slazenger (0) vs. (0) Harrogate
Our second game was against an unknown Harrogate side and again we had the upper hand. We started well with Alfie and Owen going close in the early minutes, although we could not find the finish that would count. The team worked hard with Will working tirelessly in midfield to reduce any Harrogate attacks, although they managed to move the ball quickly through the field and into the D, before finishing with a nice shot. Very little Nikolai could do about this one. Harrogate them seemed to step up a gear, with Nikolai been called into action again, although he was able to keep the ball out. Charlie then came off with Nate replacing him on the right wing, and Nate worked hard to drive the team forward with some strong runs. Nate continued to push with Alfie,  Will and Owen, although we couldn’t make the pressure count.

Slazenger (1) vs. (1) Chesterfield
Our next game was against Chesterfield, a team we have played many times before. It was a very close game and the teams were evenly matched. Chesterfield took the lead with a goal against the run of play. Ethan and Ollie were being stretched by some of the Chesterfield runners, which left a gap in the middle of the D, for their best player to run through and coolly slot the ball home. This prompted a positive reaction from us and we had attack after attack with Alfie, Nate and Will causing the Chesterfield defence lots of issues. That said, we again were not clinical in front of goal. A great run from Charlie down the right, followed by a strong cross, found Owen who put the ball away at the far post. Final score 1 – 1

Slazenger (1) vs. (0) Wakefield
Our last game was against our rivals Wakefield, who had won their first two games. The boys wanted to end on a high and took the game to Wakefield from the start. Alfie with some great runs down the left, Will with some commanding play in the middle of the park, meant we were well on top. Wakefield did apply a little pressure but Ollie and Ethan were more than a match for the Wakefield attack. Nikolai pulled off a couple of great saves, to keep us in the game. A quick change on the pitch, meant Ollie was replaced by Nate, with Alfie dropping back into defence, allowing Nate to go into his preferred position on the left wing. We kept pressing forward, and we benefitted by a great strike from Owen, with his second goal of the day. Final score 1 – 0.

The A Team finished the day with 1 win, 2 draws and 1 defeat, which was a great start to life in League 2, meaning we finished in 3rd place, joint of points with the team in 2nd place. Well done all and we are still to see more from this bunch of lads. Player of the tournament went to Ollie for his consistent performances throughout the day. Well done Ollie. Thank you to Tim Michael for umpiring today. Very much appreciated.

U12 Boys B Team
The B Team were at Slaz and were playing for the first time as a team

Slazenger B (0) vs. (0) Ben Rhydding
The team started well with Charley and Louis in defence, they worked well with Charlie GK to stop any shots on goal. Along with Noah in midfield who supported the defence and pushed the team forward to attack. Jake and Dominic worked well on the wing with Matthew as the high attacker and had a few chances. We had Daniel sub on in defence and he worked hard keeping the opposition from scoring and Zach subbed on the wing working hard in both defence and attack. End score 0-0.

Slazenger B (0) vs. (1) City of York 3
The team faced a stronger York team who played some York 2 players but the team fought hard throughout the game. Daniel, Charley and Louis in defence and along with Noah in midfield worked tirelessly throughout the game. After defending a number of short corners and despite some super saves from Charlie GK, the opposition were able to score. Zach, Dom, Jake and Matthew worked hard in attack and whilst the team fought back and were unlucky to not score. End score 0-1.

Slazenger B (0) vs. (1) Adel
The team went one goal down early on but fought back and were the more dominant team! Daniel and Charley in defence worked hard keeping any further attacks out. Louis had a stint in midfield and worked well with the defence to keep the opposition from scoring again putting in some brilliantly timed tackles! Noah pushed the team forward up the pitch and delivered some great balls to the forwards. Matthew, Zach, Jake and Dom made life difficult for the defence and although the team had a number of short corners, they were not able to convert their chances. End score 0-1.

Slazenger B (0) vs. (0) Halifax
This was a brilliant game of end to end hockey with some great hockey from all the boys. Dom demonstrated his speed and skill on the wing which was impressive to watch! Jake, Zach and Matthew battled hard for the ball. The defence and midfield of Noah, Louis, Charley and Daniel all worked hard together to clear the ball and put in some superb tackles! The whole team played so well but it was GK Charlie who kept the boys in the game! End score 0-0

Slazenger B (0) vs. (2) Wakefield
The final game of the day was against Wakefield who scored an early goal in the match but the boys continued to battle hard.  Again GK Charlie made some excellent saves which were cleared well by the defence of Charley and Daniel. Louis had another stint in midfield, putting in some more well timed tackles. Zach, Jake and Dom worked well to put pressure on the opposition but sadly they scored another. This did not deter the boys determination and with Noah and Matthew subbing on, the team fought hard to score but couldn’t quite manage it. End score 0-2.

This was an absolutely brilliant first tournament for the u12 boys B team. Despite having never played together, the mix of u12  players and u10s showed true Slaz spirit throughout the tournament and played some excellent hockey. Player of the tournament could have gone to a few of the boys this week including Charley T for his composure on the ball, GK Charlie for his brilliant saves, Dom for his excellent skills and speed on the wing in both attack and defence but went to Louis for his work rate in both defence and midfield, and for his well executed and timed tackles.