GU12 03-Mar-07: Urmston Pumas 4-4 Oswald Rd (HT 4-3)

We’ve had a frustrating history of games against the Pumas – we’ve always just lost all our games against them. The first game we were 3-0 down before fighting back to 4-2, the second game we only just lost 3-2 and were putting their goal under fierce pressure when the final whistle went! Could we do better this time? Even before the match started, disaster struck – though SophieP, our back-stop defender, did turn up, she couldn’t play as she had broken her toe (little, left foot) on Thursday. It was strapped and she wasn’t allowed to kick a ball. At least she came to support her team mates! This did cause us a few problems in defence as most of the players wander forward as soon as they can and forget to come back quickly.

Well we started off badly, half-asleep as usual, and the Pumas scored just 1 minute into the game after some scatter-brained passing from us. We then started to play better, missed a couple of half chances, and then after the 8th minute they took an opportunity and scored an excellent goal into the top left corner, giving Becky no chance. We forced a couple of corners and from one, SofiA tried the Ozzie special and kicked it out to Katie who powered a shot towards the goal which the Pumas thought they’d blocked but Zoe leapt to the ball and guided it into the goal (11 minutes). We then piled on some more pressure trying to get the equaliser but after another corner from us, they cleared the ball and sprang rapidly forward, overwhelming our defence and scored in the 13^th minute. A minute later, we’d cut the deficit again to one goal when SofiA controlled a throw-in from Tara and shot into goal. This certainly was a hectic end-to-end game! Two minutes after that, in the 16^th minute, we’d equalised! This was a great goal, involving three passes between Ruq, SofiA and Tara before Tara smacked in the goal. Another beautiful move a few minutes just missed as a series of passes from the back between Jazz, Katie, Ruqayyah, Tara and SofiA ended up with the ball going just wide. More like this, please girls! The half ended disappointingly as, in the 24^th minute, a scramble near our goal resulted in the ball going to a Pumas attacker and a half-blocked shot looped over Becky into the corner – what a fluke!

After seven goals in the first half, we were expecting another goal fest in the second half – but both teams missed lots of chances, even some one-on-ones! Fifteen minutes into the half, a corner resulted in a scramble near the goal, the ball came out to Zoe who was up for the corner – she kicked it back in towards the goal and another scramble for the ball resulted in Tara shooting, their goalie half stopping it and then falling on the ball as it crept over the line. We couldn’t see if it had gone over the line from the side but the ref had no hesitation in giving a goal. The last fifteen minutes were very tense as both teams threw away good chances to go ahead – the goalies held firm, stopping any shots that were on target. Even a few miskicks from goal didn’t result in goals as they were all kicked wide by the attackers on both sides. A very scary last few minutes – we could have lost or won the game!

Our best result so far against the Pumas! We’re still improving each game and the last few games have shown a quantum leap in our passing and movement. Well done girls!

Kamal

Team: SophieA, Jazz, Tara, Ruqayyah, Zoë, Katie, Rebecca
Goals (& Assists): 1^st half – Zoe (Katie), SofiA (Tara), Tara(SofiA)
2^nd half – Tara(SofiA)
Opposition’s Player of the Match: Zoe
Managers’ Player of the Match: Tara