Oxford City vs Cardiff Celts - 22.11.14
17-15 Loss
This was a very close game. The first half was spent trading one goal a piece, level on every change of ends. Matt showed us how to take long shots with two in the first half, while Gaz and Dave were building their goal tallies towards a hat trick a piece. We were 7-8 down at half time but felt we had the fitness to keep pressuring the shots and passes.
We initially took control in the second half. We got at least three unanswered goals and then kept a goal ahead. Dan 'the bullet' jumped the line for some nifty intercepts but also showed restraint as well! Unfortunately, about 15 minutes from the end, Gaz rolled his ankle and had to come off. Luckily, we had Super Sub Simon, and Frank gave us clear instructions to stay disciplined and keep our lead. Ruth rallied with a long shot and Alice followed with the much talked about but rarely seen shot from the side.
Sadly, with the fast scoring and intense pace we all let some of our play get a bit scrappy in the final five minutes. Some decisions did go against us but Cardiff Celts seized upon them and converted it into a two-goal win. Darn.
Despite the end result, the way we played and the quality of most of the game did feel like a victory. Frank spoke after about the potential we have as a team and this game shows that we are becoming a really competitive regional team. Huge improvement on previous regional seasons and we come away with the sense that, if we can all work on our areas of weakness and play to our strengths then the away leg should be ours.
So, in summary, it was a narrow loss to a good side.
Scorers: Gaz (3), Dave (3), Matt (3), Dan (2), Ruth (1), Alice (1), Jo (1), Claire (1)
MVP: Ruth, for marking her opponent with everything and masterfully defending her step back shooting. She also provided support for Gaz and Dave's hat tricks, and sunk a goal at a key time when our spirits needed lifting. Well done!
- Match report by Jo
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