Summary
It was a first-time trip to Wigton Moor this morning, for a game with the Foxes. Little was known about this team, but overhearing a crowd chant of ‘what do Foxes eat? - OWLS’ indicated that zoological knowledge in North Leeds had a lot to be desired.
After a humbling cup defeat to division one opposition the week before, the OWLS were hoping to bounce back today with a strong performance.
Quarter One began with Rosie and Molly as subs, Daisy between the sticks, Lena, Evelyn and Poppy in defense; Esmai and Ivy in mid and Izzy in attack.
Some good movement from the OWLS early on produced an attack through the centre of the field, and a shot from Izzy which was blocked from the Foxes keeper.
OWLS maintained their positive start, with some good ball distribution from the back through Poppy and Lena. But, against the run of play Wigton were able to produce a quick shot, low to Daisy’s feet.
OWLS resumed their dominance after the kick-off with some resilient play from Evelyn, who was able to push through the field and link well with Ivy. Despite the high level of possession from OWLS the chances were few and far between; the best opportunity coming from a corner ball, but a bobble made it hard for Izzy to keep her shot down.
Quarter Two and Lena & Izzy warmed the bench, with Rosie taking up a defensive position alongside Esmai & Poppy. Molly came on alongside Evelyn and Ivy in mid.
Again, the OWLS started well with Ivy unlucky not to score following some great movement in the box. But, as was seen in the first quarter, Wigton are capable of breaking fast and if not for a spectacular diving save from Daisy, they would have been two goals up. Their effort on goal provided the Foxes with a bit of momentum requiring good clearances from Rosie and some covering runs and tackles which Esmai has become well known for.
Quarter Three and the team were attacking left to right. Molly and Ivy taking a break the OWLS started the third quarter with Lena playing further up the pitch alongside Evelyn.
With both sides struggling to breakdown defenses and keepers mopping up any shots which came their way, this quarter was somewhat of a stalemate. A couple of shots from Izzy, the best of which hit the woodwork, was countered by a tense period of play where the OWLS defense manically blocked everything that the Foxes could throw at them.
Quarter Four: Esmai and Evelyn were off the pitch for the quarter.
OWLS continued to show their vastly improved passing, with great link up play between Poppy, Lena, and Rosie. This patient build up alongside an excellent cross from Ivy served Molly with an opportunity, which she was able to slot away with skill and confidence.
Further OWLS efforts were to follow, with Izzy unlucky not to get on the scoresheet a number of times; the best coming seconds from the final whistle.
Review
Today’s efforts were something to be proud of, with one of the best team performances of the season so far. In the post-match talk Coach Karl highlighted the significant improvements across the squad, with positional play, communication and passing coming on in leaps and bounds.
Well done team!
Players of the Match
The opposition team picked Ivy as their player of the match and OWLS supporters picked Esmai – Congratulations, two great performances.