Girls' 2nd XI v Culford

Tuesday 18th September 2012
Result: Won 3-1
Review: The first half started slowly with neither side being able to score but once we all warmed up, Clara Boeckmann scored a great goal first goal. In the second half Culford fought back and managed to pull the scores level. During the second half some superb play from Gemma Foley on the right hand side gave Alicia Wilkinson the opportunity to score a further 2 more goals making the end score 3-1 to Felsted.

Girls' 1st XI v Culford

Tuesday 18th September
Result: Won 4-0
Review: Felsted started sprightly and looked dangerous early on, however an early scare called Alex Back into action a little earlier than Felsted would have liked. She rose to the challenge and produced a good save to keep out the shot from the Culford centre forward. Almost immediately following their scare a right hand side outlet pass from Marie Harzer released Mollie Stonham. She moved forward into the circle at pace and was able to apply the finish through the goalkeepers legs. Felsted were worthy of the early lead and continued to apply further pressure which led to a penalty corner. A well worked move between Mollie Stonham and Anna Middendorf led to Middendorf’s second goal of the season. The back four consisting of Maddie Smith, Anna Middendorf, Lucy Muir and Tamara Evans were moving the ball with greater fluidity than they did early in the season and were regularly able to find gaps in the Culford press. A further right hand side penetration this time released Ellie Welsh who happily applied the finish at the goalkeepers near post. 3 – 0 at half time and Felsted were pleased with the first 30 minutes of their performance. The second half saw a number of opportunities created as Felsted continued to pick penetrating passes through the Culford defence. However, it was a second penalty corner strike from Middendorf that increased the score line. 4 – 0 was the final, a good result for Felsted. Man of the match was Tamara Evans, who at right half was solid in her defence all game but also was relentlessly supporting the right hand side attack throughout.

Star Player: Tamara Evans

Girls' U15 B v The Leys

Saturday 15th September
Result: Lost 0-2
Review: During the first half of the match both teams played well with spacious passing and determined tackles. However, despite shots at goal there was no score. After half time The Leys came out with fighting spirit and managed to score 2 goals.
Star Player: Ellie Barham 

Girl's 2nd XI v the Leys

Saturday 15th September
Result: Lost 4-1
Review: A newly formed 2nd XI took to the field at The Leys. They had a tough opening fixture but played with determination until the whistle blew at the end. In the first half the girls had the majority of possession but found it difficult to find the back of the net! In the second half both teams started well and each secured an early goal. However, Within the last ten minutes The Leys made a few breakaways which led to three unfortunate last minute goals. With a few players joining the side for their next game against Culford, the 2nds will be looking to bounce back!

Girls' 1st XI v The Leys

Saturday 15th September 2012
Review: The first fixture of the season proved to be a real nail biter, with Felsted coming from behind on 3 occasions to earn a 3-3 draw against The Leys. The early exchanges of the match saw both teams create opportunities, but it was a right hand side breakaway goal that put the Leys ahead early on in the first half. However, Felsted were not deterred by this and piled on the pressure to earn themselves a short corner. A well worked move between Anna Middendorf and Mollie Stonham ended with a reverse stick shot from Middendorf which flew past the goalkeeper’s right glove into the goal. 1-1 at half time was a fair reflection of the game but Felsted certainly had the momentum at the end of the half. Despite a strong opening to the second half it wasn't long before the girls were once again behind. With 15 minutes to go Hattie Holmes made a fantastic interception and drove into the circle before finding Bryony Males on the left post to provide the finish. At 2-2 Felsted started to look the stronger team. Unfortunately a scrappy passage of play around the defending circle put The Leys ahead for the third time in the game. Bryony Males once again provided the solution with an accomplished finish low to the corner of the goal off a feed from Anna Middendorf to bring the scores level. Felsted may have pinched it in the dying seconds but The Leys' keeper came up with a fantastic save from Anna Middendorf's reverse stick shot seconds before the final whistle. A fantastic game of hockey from which many positives can be taken. 

Star Player: Anna Middendorf

Girls' CCA v The Leys

Saturday 15th September
Result: Won 2-3
Review: We arrived at The Leys on Saturday afternoon to glorious sun shine, with spirits high ready for our first fixture of the season. The game started with both teams having very equal possession. However, the first goal went to The Leys but this motivated Felsted to really communicate well in defence and create more accurate attacking play. By half time the score was 2-1 to Felsted, with the first goal from Janneke Lind, who was also doing a brilliant job captaining this new team. The second from Emily O’Connor scoring with a cracking shot from a short corner. In the second half Felsted increased the lead to 3-1 with a goal from Matrea Yip, a super accurate sweep. The Leys did steal another goal late in the second half, making the final score 3-2 to Felsted. Well played girls and congratulations for winning the first game of the season. Also, a solid performance by the defence, led by the vice-captain Phoebe Coulson in goal. A special mention to the man of the match, Gabbi Doughty who was a warrior in the defence.
 

Girls' 1st XI, Birley’s Pre-season Tournament

Sutton Valence – Won 2 – 0

King’s Canterbury – Lost 1 – 3

Queenswood – Lost 2 – 1

Oundle – Lost 2 – 0

Saturday saw the girls 1^st XI travel to King’s Canterbury to compete in the annual Birley’s pre-season tournament. Felsted started strongly in their first game against Sutton Valence and it wasn’t long before Ellie Welsh managed to break through the last line of defence and finish with a shot low into the bottom left hand corner of the goal. Felsted continued to create chances and fully deserved their second goal. The ball was transferred across midfield to Lizzie Cole whose shot came back off the post. Fortunately it fell kindly to Mollie Stonham who tucked the ball away into the goal with ease. The first game concluded 2-0.

Next up were the tournament hosts King’s Canterbury. Felsted were unlucky to concede a short corner early on in the game, which was executed very effectively by the King’s team. However, this did not deter the Felsted girls who put together some fluid passing moves down the right hand side. This eventually resulted in Marie Harzer shooting from the top of the circle to pull the score back to 1-1 with an accomplished finish. Passages of play continued to be end to end throughout the second half and either side could have scored on a number of occasions. Unfortunately the King’s side proved more clinical on this occasion and ended up securing a 3-1 victory.

In the final two games of the day the playing conditions became very tough with temperatures reaching in excess of 30 degrees. This may have contributed to Felsted starting slowly in each of these games, conceding early goals, which made the girls up against it from the start. Despite Tamara Evans beating the goalkeeper at her near post Felsted narrowly lost to both Queenswood and Oundle.

The tournament concluded with Felsted being placed 3^rd out of the five teams that entered. A number of key areas have been highlighted for the girls to work on in training over the coming weeks to ensure the team is fully up to speed for their first fixture of the season on Saturday 15^th September. A huge positive to take from the day was the number of goal scoring opportunities the girls created in all of the games      

Player of the Tournament: Tamara Evans