Sunday 20th September
Squad
Norah, Ellen (C) Henrietta, Kara, Poppy, Libbie, Izzy, Holly, Evie, Darcie,
We welcomed new player, Evie, to that match day squad, providing 10 players to host Harborough at Rugby Town.
Coaches’ player of the match – Evie. A fantastic performance in her first game for the club. Evie is a defensive minded player, matched with a desire to push forward. We are excited to see how she progresses.
Captains’ player of the match – Poppy. A commanding performance by Poppy, providing excellent cover in centre back with her no-nonsense approach to defending! One of these days she’s going to score from one of her long kicks!
First Half
Rugby started brightly and were awarded both an early corner and then a penalty. Neither were converted but allowed Rugby to remain high and keep Harborough firmly pinned into their half.
Defenders of Ellen, Poppy, Hetty and Kara were focussed and in control, releasing the ball well to ensure our midfield and forward had plenty of opportunities to play forward.
Rugby had several corners in a row with both Hetty and Ellen delivering some nice balls. Harborough defended well and kept Rugby at bay. Holly was strong as our lone striker and was using her afterburners to get by the Harborough central defence, and a good opportunity saw her just shoot wide of the upright.
Passing and teamwork were very good today and was a pleasure to watch. A slight miscommunication in defence allowed the quick and skilful Harborough attacker through, but Norah was off her line and out into the 18-yard box quickly to intercept and launch the ball into orbit.
Libbie, Darcie and Holly were working well as a unit in midfield, and some smart football from Libbie to Holly resulted in Rugby’s opening goal.
Rugby Town 1-0 (Holly a. Libbie)
Izzy and Evie on the left and right wing respectively, were really commanding their areas, allowing for wide play and runs up the wings. Perfect! A great run from Izzy and cut in allowed her to shoot, and she was unlucky to be just wide of the target.
Second Half
Harborough were much more determined in the second half, and to their credit, they were giving Rugby a bit of a hard time, especially as for periods they were down to 8 players on the pitch.
Norah had an early save to make, and down the other end Ellen had a fab chance and was disappointed to see her shot go wide. Harborough were asking questions of Rugby, and Norah was again called about to charge out from her goal to intercept and clear the ball.
Rugby won a free kick and Ellen stepped up, a great shot well saved by the keeper. Harborough broke and Rugby were lucky to see the shot go wide. A few minutes later, Harborough’s efforts were rewarded by a gappy Rugby defence and the brave run of their striker.
Rugby Town 1 – 1 Harborough Town
Rugby needed to keep concentration and effort high to at least achieve a draw, but the girls were pushing back on Harborough again, clearly believing they could win. Holly had a lovely shot, again the Harborough keeper ensure the game remained level.
The final 10 of the game was nervy as both teams were looking for the winner. Rugby just had the edge, and our midfield were holding well and providing forward balls to run on to. Libbie and Izzy were having a great period out on the left and a nice back and forth between them released Libbie who drove forward and score Rugby’s second.
Rugby Town 2-1 (Libbie a. Izzy)
The final minutes saw Rugby well in control, Poppy had a charge up from centre back and a speculative shot from well outside the 18-yard box, caused a bit of concern for the Harborough defence. A couple of corners for Rugby closed out the game.
Thank Yous
Thank you to Coaches John and Bob and the Harborough team for travelling good luck for the rest of the season.
Thank you to Referee Tom
Thank you to assistant ref James.
Thank you to the parents for your support, it is much appreciated.