Womens 1st XI vs Chelmsford 4

Romford ladies arrived at a soggy Chelmsford at, what felt like, the crack of dawn, for a 10am pushback. A little jaded after the Dinner Dance the night before, the team were a little unsure of what to expect from the oppo and themselves. Playing the trusted 3, 5, 2 formation Romford set the tone from the off with some good midfield domination and running ensuing that there was linked play with the forward line and putting the oppo defence under pressure. Chelmsford had their moments of attack that Romford defence dealt with calmly, but it was Romford that got the first reward , with an assist from Captain Katie, Emma outwitted the keeper sending her the wrong way during a 1 on 1 making it 1-0 Romford. The game quickly settled into a good rhythm with both teams passing the ball and attacking each end, however it was Romford that put the pressure on and came away with a second goal from a direct strike on goal by Loz via a penalty corner. The latter part of the first half saw the forward line making some great runs, supported by the midfield working the ball rather than their legs (it was a heavy late night!) and defence remaining calm when Chelmsford’s key forward was trying to alter the score line. Chelmsford had their opportunities but Lisa GK was on top form and saved all shots directed at goal. Before the halftime whistle Romford worked the ball up the pitch for Sonata to get the 3rd goal from a rebound and beating the keeper with a lifted shot. 3-0 Romford. Half time encouragement from Coach was to keep doing what we were doing and stay on top of the game, however once the game restarted it was Chelmsford that came out stronger and after the award of a penalty corner (one of many) Chelmsford were rewarded with a goal from a straight strike. 3-1. This goal lifted Romford's performance rather then deflate it and once again ball possession was key and the pace of Romford mid and forward line was too much for oppo defence. A quick stop of the game by the umpire due to Romford's ‘high sprints’ enabled a quick on pitch chat amongst the team and a reminder to stay calm and go with the decisions made and it wasn’t too long before Romford were rewarded with their 4th goal following a well worked penalty corner routine which saw captain Katie slap the ball behind the keeper and defenders. Chelmsford kept applying the pressure and were awarded a number of penalty corners in the last quarter of the game but Lisa GK saved everything that was stuck towards goal and defence were able to clear the ball out without much pressure. The final reward of the game came from a well worked ball from defence, through to mid, onto the forward line to Kemi who took the tightest angle with a strike to beat the keeper and take the final score to 5-1. This was a game that despite the late night and partying, the whole team worked incredibly well together and made the ball do the work when it mattered. A fantastic team effort. 5 goals from 5 different players. Some lovely individual performances but a much better team performance.

MOM Kemi for her continual effort and attacking play throughout the game and a fabulous goal to end the game.