Under 12 Girls A

Tournament Match Report

A brilliant start to the season for our A Team in Division 1, with three wins and one defeat from four games!

Slazenger (1) vs. (0) Thirsk (Scorer: Ella)
Slaz started brightly, putting Thirsk under pressure from the start. We could easily have been two goals ahead in the opening minutes, with some excellent attacking hockey from Grace, making her A Team debut, alongside Ella, Penny and Darcie. A couple of efforts went just wide, while the Thirsk goalkeeper made some good saves to keep the score level. Maddison and Meera were solid at the back, dealing confidently with the few attacks that came their way. Eden came on midway through the game for her Slaz debut and immediately added energy and skill to the team. With just minutes remaining, some excellent build-up play created an opportunity for Ella at the top of the D. She struck a firm shot into the corner to give Slaz a deserved 1–0 win. A brilliant result for a newly formed team.

Slazenger (1) vs (2) City of York A (Scorer: Darcie)
Facing York once again, we were determined to build on the opening result. A flowing team move involving Eden and Ella created an opportunity for Darcie in the D, and she calmly finished to put Slaz 1–0 ahead. York responded strongly, putting Meera, Maddison and Frances under pressure. Despite some good defending, a scramble in the D eventually led to York's equaliser. Slaz continued to push for another goal, with Eden, Grace and Darcie all creating opportunities, but we couldn't find the finish we needed. With just two minutes remaining, York created an opening and found the far corner to take the win. Our first defeat of the season, but another really positive performance and plenty for the girls to take forward.

Slazenger (6) vs. (0) Wakefield (Scorers: Eden 3, Darcie 3)
A local derby and after a focused team talk, the girls were ready to put the York result behind them. From the first whistle, Slaz took control, with the majority of the play in the Wakefield half. Ella dropped back into defence alongside Maddison and dealt comfortably with the limited pressure, while Frances had a relatively quiet game in goal. Meera was outstanding in centre midfield, helping Slaz keep possession and move the ball forward, while Grace, Darcie, Eden and Penny provided plenty of attacking threat. The girls continued to build pressure and were rewarded with six excellent goals. Eden completed her hat-trick with a brilliant individual run and finish, before Darcie completed hers with a well-worked short-corner routine.
A superb team performance from start to finish.

Slazenger (4) vs. (0) Ben Rhydding (Scorers: Darcie 2, Eden 2)
Slaz started quickly, taking the lead within 15 seconds. Darcie picked the ball up from the restart, drove forward through the Ben Rhydding defence and finished brilliantly for a fantastic individual goal. Eden made it 2–0 after another excellent team move involving Ella and Grace. Ben Rhydding tried to respond, but Meera, playing on the right wing but seemingly popping up everywhere, worked tirelessly alongside Maddison and Ella to keep their attacking play under control.
Penny came on and immediately added pace down the left, helping create the opportunity for Darcie to make it 3–0. Eden then added another to complete the scoring and secure a confident 4–0 win.

A brilliant team effort across all four games, with debuts for Eden and Meera, and Grace making her first A Team appearance. All three were outstanding and look set to be huge assets to the team this season. Three wins and one defeat is an excellent start for a new team, with plenty of positive hockey and lots more to build on.

🏆 Player of the Tournament: Eden - A fantastic debut tournament from Eden. Her energy, work rate, skill and three goals in two games made her a real standout. Well done, Eden! 💚

Huge thanks to Mark and Rob for co-coaching and umpiring, and Will for coaching from the goal line and keeping the scores.

What a start! 💚🏑👏