The first league game of the season started with a good away win for OW’s. With a solid squad of 14 this week OW’s were able to utilise the substitutes to their advantage. The game started brightly with OW’s playing some good link up play across the pitch which resulted in some early scoring opportunities being created. OW’s dominated possession for large spells of this game and kept Gravesend constantly on the back foot with Gravesend only being able to push forward on the rare break.
Eventually the pressure told when Hannah Miller scored a goal from an acute angle following a string of shots after a short corner. Then player of the match Heidi Pentecost thought she had scored when she fired off an absolute cracker of a shot from just inside the ‘D’ into the roof of the goal, only for the umpire to disallow it as he considered it dangerous.
Hester Thompson then added a second to the score line – again after sustained pressure by OW’s in the 'D’ which allowed her to score from close range. Further chances came and went for OW’s and they went in the halftime break 2-0 up.
The second half pretty much was a continuation of the first, with most of the play predominantly in the Gravesend half. Then OW’s thought they had scored again when Marissa Alves took a long corner, ran into the ‘D’ and struck the ball goal bound only for a Gravesend player to deflect it into the goal. However, the umpire disallowed it as he deemed the strike to have been taken from outside the ‘D’ (even though Gravesend had graciously informed the umpire that she was inside), but there was no changing the umpire‘s mind.
Minutes later new starlet Emma Lambkin scored OW’s third of the game after Hannah Miller’s excellent run down the flank and her pin point pass into the ‘D’ found Emma on the penalty spot, and Emma tapped home a simple but lovely worked goal.
Gravesend grabbed a consolation goal in the dying minutes of the game, but this wasn’t enough to kick start a revival and the game finished 3-1 to OW’s.
This was a great start to the season for OW’s with some great hockey being played and all players supporting each other. More of the same next week please!
Team: Spry, Mackness, Sullivan (K), Tyrrell, McGrath, Swain, Basso, Wallwork, Alves, Sullivan (D), Thompson, Miller, Lambkin, Pentecost