Redland UWE 4-3 Kettering

Last year's runners up took leave of this year's competition at the quarter final stage as they failed to score one more goal than they conceded against Redland UWE in Bristol.
Redland controlled the early passages of play but Kettering had the first effort when the umpire blew a bit early and gave a short corner as Shez Coe buried the ball in the corner. Unjustly the short corner came to nothing. Redland opened the scoring when a save from Michele Collins fell to a Redland forward. Kettering hit back when Coe's lobbed short corner was handled on the line and bundled in by Mandy Starsmore-Young. After initially giving a stroke the umpire then gave a goal as the ball was deemed to have initially crossed the line. Unbelievably no cards were issued. Sue Russell then forced a penalty stroke when a scramble saw a defender half save a shot and then use a foot. Coe comfortably dispatched the penalty.
The second half saw Redland come out on the offensive and for the first twenty minutes Kettering struggled to break out of their own half. Four minutes in a hopeful long ball eluded the Kettering defence to present an easy chance and two more in the next ten minutes but Kettering on the back foot. Now having to throw people forward Kettering gained a foothold in the game as Sandra Mandzuik expertly tipped in a Russell cross. This set up a grandstand last five minutes and with time up Kettering won a short corner - unfortunately they were unable to convert it and send the tie to penalties. There is always next year.