U14A Girls & U18A/Adults share the spoils!
On Friday evening the U14A Girls and U18 Girls & Adults drew 1-1 in the latest Summer League match.
The match started with the U14A Girls completely dominating all the “TV Stats”. The girls passed the ball well, transferring the ball from side to side and trying to find some openings. Frustratingly for the Girls, the U18s/Adults had chartered a National Express private bus to Sundridge for the evening and there as just no way through. Indeed on a rare foray into the Girls half it was U14A team coach Adam who 3D the ball past the tumbleweed that had accumulated to give the U18s/Adults the lead at half-time. 1-0.
In the second half, the Girls played well again and with a revised game plan they won a number of penalty corners. However they were unable to pierce the U18s/Adults steely defence and goal; David making a number of good saves on several occasions. The move of the game was also the equalising goal for the girls as they switched the ball across the pitch to Ines. She purposeful carried the ball into space before feeding Evie whose skills got her along the baseline before she pulled the ball back to Elsa to finish. 1-1. Despite further chances for both teams the score remained 1-1 and this gave both teams one point.
On Sunday, the U18 Girls & Adults will face off against the U16A Girls with a chance to now win the Championships. The U14A Girls face the U14/U16A Boys for a chance to secure silver or bronze.
Match Report, Sunday 16th May
U16A Girls win the Championships!
On Sunday the U16A Girls were crowned champions of the KP Summer League! A 4-1 win against the U18 Girls & Adults sealed the title in its inaugural season.
In an excellent start for the U18s/Adults, they dominated the ball and created the best of the chances in the first half. Indeed it was against the run of play that the U16A Girls won their first penalty corner of the match. A worked move saw Ella calmly slide the ball in from close range to give the Girls a 1-0 lead.
In the second half it was once again the U18s/Adults that were in the ascendency. Calm distribution from Steve, Dale & LJ, fed the outstanding midfield of Martha, Matt, Sasha and Adam. More often than not, they were then able to find Elloise flying up from half back or the forwards: Sarah, Ruth, Robin and Grace R. On the rare occasion that the U16A Girls got through, David saved well. Pascale managed to keep the U18s/Adults at bay for long periods of the second half, but the pressure eventually told after a series of long corners. A well placed ball into the D from Steve was deflected in by Matt. 1-1 and game on!
As the adults pushed for the win, they left gaps at the back and it was Lottie who capitalised. An excellent run through the heart of the U18s/Adults defence drew a number of fouls and she won a penalty stroke which she duly converted. 2-1. Phoebe crowned a good performance to make it 3-1 from a through pass from Imogen. Bearing down on the goalkeeper, her dad!, she latched onto the pass and rounded David in goal to score. I don’t think Phoebe will be getting a birthday present this year now!
With the game very stretched it was Lottie who sealed the win for the U16A Girls with a ferocious backhand strike. 4-1 it finished and the U16A Girls were crowned the KP Summer League 2021 Champions! Congratulations to all the girls that have played this summer!
Match of the weekend in the battle of the U14s!
In the match of the weekend the U14A Boys took on the U14A Girls. In a wonderful match the game ebbed and flowed, chances were created, goals were scored, saves were made and they eventually shared the spoils.
The Boys started the better and it was Summer League top scorer Mack C who converted from a lovely counter-attack. An excellent 1-2 around the on rushing GK saw the boys go into a 1-0 lead. A mix up in defence then resulted in the Boy’s and Mack’s second goal. Rounding the goalkeeper Mack was able to push the ball into the empty goal. 2-0.
This goal seemed to give the girls the wake up call they needed and they started to play much better. Passing the ball more, making better decisions and bringing the midfield into the game. Indeed it was the additional pressure that told as Mackenzie rinsed past the final defenders and slotted the ball in with an expertly executed flick. Mackenzie was involved again as her hold up play fed Charlotte. Her deceptive pass fooled everyone except Evie who was the happy recipient waiting at the top of the D. She hammered the ball in the corner of the goal to make it 2-2. On the stroke of half time Indy, back from a lengthy injury, hit a penalty corner into the bottom corner to make it 3-2 at the break.
The second half was a very exciting watch. Both teams playing the exciting hockey we love at KP. High energy in both midfields meant there was no let up for the full 35 minutes. The most controversial moment was the disallowed goal for the Boys. A penalty corner strike was judged to have risen above backboard height on its trajectory to the goal. Landing on the backboard the Boys peeled away in celebration. However after much deliberation, the goal was disallowed. The boys continued push for their fourth and what would have been the winning goal. However they left themselves desperately short at the back. Some excellent defending from Betty saw her come out of the D with the ball. A somewhat hopeful pass through the pitch was sprinted after by Amber, whose athleticism meant there couldn’t have been a better person to sprint 80 metres at full speed to collect the pass! Amber hammered the ball into the empty goal and it was 3-3. A full time penalty corner for the Boys was their final chance to steal the points. Sadly not on this occasion.
The Girls take the Bronze and the Boys have to settle for fourth place this summer. A brilliant match - well done to everyone that played.
Comments