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Sat 04 Mar 2017 ·  Division 2
Ladies 1st XISolihull Blossomfield ladies 1st
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Loss Leaves Kettering Deflated
Laura Beacon5 Mar 2017 - 17:45
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Best performance so far but it wasn't to be
Kettering ladies XI hosted Solihull this weekend and with things getting tight near the bottom of the table and fears of relegation a possibility the team needed to take points from the game. Unfortunately it just wasn't meant to be for the home side despite a tenacious effort.
The game started with Kettering applying all the pressure on the away side and for the first 20 minutes they had Solihull pinned in their own half. Each time the away side gained possession Kettering were on them in a flash to win it straight back. Meg Forader who was awarded player of the match led the way with this, constantly closing players down and using her pace to move the ball up the pitch. Solihull managed a breakaway counter late in the second half but a spectacular save from Kate Metcalfe in goal kept the home side in it. As half time approached Kettering were unlucky to not be ahead and felt like their goal was coming.
The second half saw Solihull begin the stronger and they soon earned a penalty corner. Frustratingly this corner led to a goal despite the scoring player blocking the post defender, Beth Lewis. Kettering didn't allow this to get them down and still felt there were goals in the game for them. Crosses from Cath Irvin and driving runs forward from Stacy Hall ensured the ball was at the right end of the pitch but that last touch couldn't be found. With about 5 minutes to go Emma Findlay found herself with the ball in front of goal but her shot hit a foot which then resulted in the home side earning a penalty flick. Mandy Starsmore-Young stepped up to the task despite having struggled through the game with an Achilles injury. This however just was not meant to be as the flick was saved by the keeper.
Kettering continued to battle all the way to the final whistle and undeservedly found themselves on the losing side again. Needless to say the team felt quite deflated at the loss after putting in such a hard-fought performance, perhaps one of the best of the season. Hopefully this effort and drive will soon reward the ladies with some emphatic wins to a avoid that dreaded relegation battle.
The game started with Kettering applying all the pressure on the away side and for the first 20 minutes they had Solihull pinned in their own half. Each time the away side gained possession Kettering were on them in a flash to win it straight back. Meg Forader who was awarded player of the match led the way with this, constantly closing players down and using her pace to move the ball up the pitch. Solihull managed a breakaway counter late in the second half but a spectacular save from Kate Metcalfe in goal kept the home side in it. As half time approached Kettering were unlucky to not be ahead and felt like their goal was coming.
The second half saw Solihull begin the stronger and they soon earned a penalty corner. Frustratingly this corner led to a goal despite the scoring player blocking the post defender, Beth Lewis. Kettering didn't allow this to get them down and still felt there were goals in the game for them. Crosses from Cath Irvin and driving runs forward from Stacy Hall ensured the ball was at the right end of the pitch but that last touch couldn't be found. With about 5 minutes to go Emma Findlay found herself with the ball in front of goal but her shot hit a foot which then resulted in the home side earning a penalty flick. Mandy Starsmore-Young stepped up to the task despite having struggled through the game with an Achilles injury. This however just was not meant to be as the flick was saved by the keeper.
Kettering continued to battle all the way to the final whistle and undeservedly found themselves on the losing side again. Needless to say the team felt quite deflated at the loss after putting in such a hard-fought performance, perhaps one of the best of the season. Hopefully this effort and drive will soon reward the ladies with some emphatic wins to a avoid that dreaded relegation battle.
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