Ladies 3rd XI

Match Report

Slazenger Ladies 3s welcomed Spen Valley to home turf this week for a competitive encounter that saw end-to-end hockey, some fantastic saves and plenty of determination from the home side.

The game got off to a lively start, with both teams working hard to create opportunities. Gemma Wilson’s quick feet and sharp reactions were keeping Slazenger in the game at one end, while Ellie Page’s driving runs up the pitch caused problems for the Spen Valley defence. Ellie came close on several occasions, but the opposition goalkeeper proved difficult to beat, denying her multiple times. Despite Slazenger’ efforts, Spen Valley went into half-time with a two-goal advantage.

In the second half Slazengers kept their shape and made better use of the width, the ladies began to build more pressure and push higher up the pitch in search of a way back into the game.
Their persistence paid off when they were awarded a short corner. Lisa Minchella received the ball, skilfully moved it to the left around a defender and unleashed a superb reverse-stick strike that found the backboard, reducing the deficit and giving Slazengers a well-deserved boost.

Gemma Wilson was once again called into action, producing a series of fantastic saves to keep Slazenger within touching distance. Her outstanding performance earned her the team’s Player of the Match vote. Slazengers continued to press hard in search of an equaliser . However, it wasn’t to be, as Spen Valley finished the game with a flurry of short corners. The Slazengers defence stood firm, successfully defending every one to prevent any further goals.

Although the points escaped them this week, there were plenty of positives to take from the spirited team performance. Next week, Slazenger Ladies 3s travel to face Skipton, where they’ll be looking to build on these positives and secure their first points of the season. Keep going, ladies we can do it!!