Ladies 2s show fighting spirit to stay top!
/Kelburne Ladies 2s v Stewarton Garnock Ladies 1s
19/11/2022 - 12:30pm
Kelburne 2s 2-2 Stewarton Garnock 1s
Scorers: Jen Owen and Alice Ferguson
Kelburne Ladies 2s team set out on a cold November morning to see if they could continue their unbeaten streak. With a 12:30pm pushback for Kelburne, there was a series of great passes between midfield and upfront but with a stroke of bad luck and strong midfield from Stewarton Garnock, the other team scored an early goal just a few minutes into the first quarter. Spirits were slightly low, but Kelburne kept pushing with some great defence work and effective shots up the pitch from Carol Feeney. There was some impressive play from midfield and upfront in Stewarton’s half and lots of pressure towards the D. Despite this, the other team kept strong and flicked in another goal, bringing the score to 2-0. There were a couple of short corners awarded to Kelburne, but neither successful.
As the second quarter rolled into action, there was still a lot of pressure and strong passes between Stewarton which resulted in play being mostly in our half, but a lot of determination and strong stickwork kept the ball away from our goal. After a breakaway across to the other side, a short corner was awarded, with a fantastic shot from Jen Owen towards the right corner. Sadly it bounced off a defender’s stick, and the players continued to try win a goal but it wasn’t to be as it was hit out.
Half-time and, after a positive discussion with coach Shaun and ideas from players, the 2s were much more confident as a team and played their absolute best, resulting in a third quarter of excellent play in Stewarton’s half. There was some great organisation from Carol and Jen Morgan, and lots of work in midfield, helped by Anna Thomson and Esme Freeburn from Ladies 1s. Our first goal was near as Bella Martin passed the ball up the line and opened up the play for the strikers. There was a lot of pressure around the D and consistent passes across from Jen Owen, Jen Morgan, Fiona McGrane, Mairi Macpherson and others, but it was eventually hit out and the ball was given to Stewarton Garnock. However, just after they passed it to their defender in the D, immediate pressure was applied, the ball was won and flicked in by Alice Ferguson, bringing the score to 2-1 to Stewarton.
This gave a boost of confidence to the team and play continued, with some great defence work from Carys Hindle and Becca Feeney. At one point, the ball sailed up towards the goal but was expertly blocked by Elaine Torry who had volunteered to be the goalkeeper and made some excellent saves for an outfield player.
Into the fourth and final quarter, which was very well dominated by Kelburne with lots of play in Stewarton’s half and great chances at goal. Set-ups for sidelines and 16s got much better throughout the game, resulting in a series of fantastic stops from midfielder Isla Christie, constantly gaining the ball back for a pass into the D. After a few minutes, a short corner was awarded to Kelburne, a great chance to bring the score to a draw. With a strong injection from Esther Walker, Jen Owen struck the ball and it sailed over the defender’s stick and past the goalkeeper, hitting the backboard with great force. The players were elated and this brought them even closer to maintaining their well-deserved undefeated streak.
With only a few minutes left, The whole team worked tirelessly to keep Stewarton from scoring any more, and still applying lots of pressure to their defence. No goals from either side were won however, and the whistle blew to signal their draw.
Most would say it was a very even game as Stewarton had a very similar team and skill-level. Still, Kelburne kept their heads up and it was another well-played game for the unbeaten team and some good practice for those that went on to play Sunday’s match against Hillhead 4’s.
