Girls' 1st XI v Loughborough University

Date: Tuesday 8th September

Venue:
Home on the waterbased. Meet at 1pm for a 2pm start.

Team:
H.Dunford, A.Church, M.Byas, H.Parkinson, L.McIntosh, A.Krone, E.Green (Capt.), S.McCallin, J.Leigh, R.Siebert, F.Juncker, L.Smith, R.Rogers, W.Mumby, R.Johnson, R.Brown (16)

Unavailable - Sophie Hawkins (Injured)

Result:
Lost 1-5 (Jo Leigh (PC)) Match played in thirds (0-3), (0-2), (1-0)

Match Report:
This was always going to be a stern test and so it proved as Loughborough were that little bit better in every department. The absence of Sophie Hawkins, due to injury, made a big difference as her gritty defending and calmness under pressure was sorely missed. Re-shuffling players made Shona McCallin an able deputy but meant that her cutting edge further forward was lacking.

Improvements were made from each third to the next despite the girls tiring in the heat! Abi Krone made some important tackles and some excellent interceptions due to her good reading of the game and Meg Byas made more surging runs down the right hand side. Adding a calmness to her final pass is the next, and most crucial, step for Meg.

Loughborough were very dominant in the first third but after that, despite the scoreline suggesting that the game was very one sided, Repton had has many chances as Loughborough. On the day the difference between the two was the clinical finishing and the brave last ditch defending.

Jo Leigh looked the sharpest around the circle and, after having a few good chances saved, she eventually scored a consolation goal in the final third of the game. To compete with a side who very narrowly missed out on promotion to the National Premier League last season shows great promise for this group who will be all the sharper ahead of the first school fixture for this run-out.

Sheffield Hallam, who play in the same league as Loughborough, are the next opponents on Saturday. The game is at home on the waterbased at 12.45pm.