The weather may have been grim on Saturday, but THD L5s certainly weren’t! On a cold, drizzly day that would have sent lesser teams diving for cover, our ladies pulled out all the stops to claim a commanding 6-1 victory over Spencer Sapphires.
Right from the first whistle, THD L5s showed they weren’t about to let a bit of wind and rain dampen our spirits. We came out firing, playing with energy, determination, and no small amount of flair. The opening goal within the first 5 minutes came courtesy of Katie & set the tone for what was to come – with a signature drive down the left wing, ducking and weaving under defenders, the first shot drew a save from the goalie but pouncing on the rebound the second shot found the bottom left corner & THD were ahead!
A momentary lapse in concentration saw Spencer awarded a short corner, straight strike from top D defended but unfortunately not cleared cleanly out the D, what followed was a beauty of a deflection on the post & Spencer were back in the game.
As the clock ran down and half time approached, Cara set off at pace, leaving Spencer players in her wake as she effortlessly cut through their midfield and then defence, after a classic base line drive,she laid it off for Em Sadler who was waiting on the p spot and who happily slotted it away for THD’s 2nd goal.
Half time sweets consumed, THD came out full of Haribo energy and with us dominating play and it wasn’t long until we were rewarded with our third goal courtesy of Cara and a blindingly good straight strike from a short corner - 3-1 to THD.
Spencer weren’t down and out just yet, they began to work their way worryingly close to our D,but it wasn’t enough to breach our defences and it wasn’t long before the ball was back in their defensive 23. Following a master class in ‘tactical fouls’ from Em R, we advanced one Spencer foot at a time closer to the D. A tempting ball was played into a congested D and amongst a sea of defenders Amy emerged triumphant and with a quick clip hit we were 4-1 up.
It wasn’t long until we were awarded another short corner. With our straight strike taker(s) off the pitch we decided to spice things up and try our signature left slip routine. Sophie received the ball and hit a strong slap on target to the left post. The keeper dove, clearing the ball off the line but unfortunately (for Spencer) Jen was lurking ready to pounce on the rebound, in a flash she had reverse scooped it over the keeper who was still on the ground scoring our 5th goal!
In the dying minutes of the match, a wayward ball crossed left to right across Spencers D - out of nowhere Cara appeared, she fired off a shot and just like that we were 6-1 up as the final whistle blew.
Another 3 points secured, a nice bump to our goal difference & THD L5s remain unbeaten after Christmas!
MOM (s):
Cara: dominant in the middle, cracking goals, insane skills as always!
Katie: for more of the trademark battles down the wing, and critically getting that early goal which really set off our momentum!
Gabby: for incredible long balls/playmaking and energy in the middle!
Emily R: for definitely winning us the most free hits by putting it on oppo feet every few mins and constantly driving the ball forwards through a barrage of players.