Ladies' 2XI vs Fareham 2

Southampton 2 v 2 Fareham

On a beautiful crisp autumnal morning we were looking forward to getting our revenge on Fareham. Our warmup led by Kate included dynamic stretching plus weightlifting as we had to move numerous football and hockey goals to make the pitch safe.

We started the match at pace, pressing the Fareham defence and creating numerous opportunities to score but the Fareham goalkeeper made some outstanding saves. After continuous pressure pushing Fareham backwards they managed to win the ball in their defensive half and after some sharp quick passes counter attacked to create an overload. Emma came out to close them down but hey managed to hit the target and score the first goal after 17 minutes.

The game went back to the pattern with plenty of attacking from Southampton with every player working hard to retain possession which resulted in a short corner being awarded. A one two between Sue and Nicky resulted in a goal for Sue in the 30^th minute. Into half time with the score at 1 v 1 with Southampton definitely playing the better hockey.

After a positive team talk Southampton were on top from the start with a great interception from Kate in the attacking half followed by a pinpoint pass from her into the circle for Brens to slot home on her reverse from a narrow angle after 40 minutes. With the score at 2 v 1 Southampton continued to press earning numerous short corners which worked well but the Fareham defence and especially the goalkeeper were not going to let the ball into their goal.

After continuous pressure from Southampton the Fareham defence took a quick  hit out and after 3 passes earned a short corner. The initial shot was saved but the ball was not cleared and the Fareham forward was grateful to see her rebound hit the back of the net in 63^rd minute.

Southampton continued to press hard but could not find that vital touch in front of goal. At the end Fareham were happy to settle for a draw which shows how much in control Southampton were today.

Every single Southampton player gave their all and although disappointed with the result it was an positive team performance which bodes well for future wins.

Scorers Sue & Brens

MoM Kate