The U11s played well in rather inclement conditions on Pocklington's astroturf in their first hockey match of this term. Frankie won the toss and Abi took a quick push forward, putting the Lyndhurst's girls on the back foot, and Tara dribbled the ball expertly into their D, demonstrating her excellent stick control. A sly pass and our first goal of the match was decisively put away by Abi. We threatened well for the rest of this half and all the girls played well, coping admirably with the rolling substition and change of positions. Sophie and Lily had little to do at the back and goal in this half but when Lyndhurst did threaten they cleared the ball effectively back to the midfield who drove it down the wings to put pressure on Lyndhurst's defence. Some great attacking play by Abi, Tara, Olivia and Nicole unfortunately did not result in any more goals for us and the half ended 1 - 0 to us.
Lyndhurst came back strong in the second half and the game was a lot more even with the ball being well passed and controlled by both teams. Livy, who had a lovely game, and got into some great positions was rewarded with the second goal, closely followed by a second for Abi. Tara's run in the D created many more chances but Lyndhurst had a lot of girls in the D to block the shots. As the game was drawing to a close we allowed Lyndhurst too much space at the top of our half and Lily had to cope with a number of succesive shots, often being the last 'man' in defence. Lyndhurst missed some easy shots but their persistence eventually paid off with two late goals to even the match.
There was much to be pleased with throughout the match but practise next week will focus on reading and defending attacking plays and making sure the backs clear the ball out of the danger zone.
Mary-Ann Pilmore
