1st VII v Westbourne Drew 4-4

Player of the Match Olivia C

Goal scorers: Chloe R-S, Emma H, Nancy S, Lily S.

This was certainly a game of two halves!  After a turbulent warm up, the U13A side were ready to start the match physically but we were not so sure mentally!  The weather was wet and cold and S. Anselm’s certainly started off in the same way.  Westbourne were a strong side and were off at the blow of the whistle.  Westbourne had exceptional midfield and forward players of which they certainly utilised in the first half.  Their passing and attacking moves were excellent but partly due to the fact that the S. Anselm’s defending from all players was poor.  There were a few good solid breaks in play, particularly from Emma H on the Right wing but there was certainly room for improvement.  Westbourne centre players scored 2 excellent goals and S. Anselm’s scored well in the first half but we still had a lot of work to do if we were going to be contenders in this match.  The first half lacked determination, sense of urgency to and with the ball and as previously mentioned the defending needed to improve dramatically.  At half time the score was 2 -1 to Westbourne and a much needed team talk was needed to lift S. Anselm’s motivation and get the team in fighting spirit and back into the match! In the second half the team started off brilliantly, fast gaining possession, good strong passing using the width of the pitch and the team started to play well together and cohesively which was certainly lacking in the first half.  After a few short corner penalties, goals were scored by Emma H and Chloe R-S which put S. Anselm’s into the lead 3 -2. However, Westbourne were quick to react with another goal.  It was certainly end to end ball and the match was very exciting.  The S. Anselm’s parents were cheering and giving excellent encouragement to our players which certainly helped – thank you!  Lily S and Fran F were certainly having an excellent second half and with 10 minutes to go, Nancy S scored an outstanding goal which was so impressive, this put S. Anselm’s back into the lead.  However, once again Westbourne was reactive and scored again, levelling the score 4 – 4.  With 40 seconds to go, S. Anselm’s were awarded a short corner and the pressure was on.  Good positioning ensured opportunities on goal but the final whistle went and S. Anselm’s had to settle for a draw.  It was an excellent competitive match and the girls have learnt a lot about teamwork and cohesion today.  Thank you to our parents for their support throughout the match – greatly appreciated today! MPN