Ladies 3rd XI

Match Report

Slazenger’s 3’s welcomed a young Aire Valley 1’s side for a competitive home fixture, with both teams producing an exciting and end-to-end first half. Slazenger started brightly, with Lauren Wood and Beth Buckley looking particularly impressive down the right-hand side. The game was evenly contested, with chances at both ends, but it was Aire Valley who opened the scoring after a penalty stroke was awarded for a Slazenger’s foot on the line. They soon doubled their advantage to take a 2–0 lead.

Slazenger’s refused to let their heads drop and continued to battle. Just before half time, Ellie Page produced a fantastic individual run, carrying the ball almost half the length of the pitch before entering the D and calmly slotting the ball past the keeper. A brilliant piece of skill gave Slazenger’s a deserved lifeline, making the half-time score 2–1.

Slazenger’s carried that momentum into the second half and continued to put Aire Valley under pressure. Katie Knighton produced an excellent save to deny Aire Valley from their second penalty flick, keeping Slazenger’s firmly in the contest.

The next goal came from an unfortunate deflection. The ball came off defender Nicole Knox’s stick, then quickly onto the goalkeeper’s helmet and into the goal. Aire Valley capitalised on the setback and extended their lead to 4–1.

Slazenger’s continued to fight and brought it to 4–2 putting Slazenger’s back within touching distance. The final 15 minutes proved difficult, however, as Aire Valley began to overrun Slazenger’s and added two further goals to make the final score 6–2.

Players of the Match: ⭐ Lauren Wood & Katie Knighton ⭐

Well done to everyone who battled right to the final whistle!