South Reading Vixens

At last, the first 11-a-side match for the girls! The team got to Bulmershe early, and after some initial concern over the size of the goals they quickly realised it was the same for both teams. The warmup was well underway as the hosts arrived, leaving the girls plenty of time to go over their new positions. They were eager for some last minute reminders on the offside rule, and quickly took to the newly-acquired tactics board.

Opponents Whiteknights had combined their Jewels and Gems teams for the occasion, with the Vixens also playing a mixture of Yellow and Green team players. With the objective of the match being to gain experience, it was decided to play four quarters rather than two halves.

The game kicked off with both teams holding their formation well. The Vixens had some early pressure with Jessica winning a corner, but it was Whiteknights who opened the scoring with a well struck drive to take the lead at the first break. Both teams then took the opportunity to make changes, with Whiteknights rotating several players from their large squad. The Vixens pressed forward from the kick off, and within a minute Yasmin scored our first 11-a-side goal as she finished well from a tight angle. Kelsey went close from Yasmin’s cross, before she set up Jaye to put the Vixens in front at half time.

More changes followed at the second break, but again it only took the Vixens a minute to score from the restart. The ball bounced about in the Whiteknights area, caught a defender’s arm and the referee awarded a penalty. Jaye stepped up and blasted the ball high into the net, giving the keeper no chance. But just a few minutes later the situation was reversed as the Whiteknights girls called for a handball in the Vixens area. This time the ref waved play on, but it was Whiteknights who kept their concentration to fire the ball back towards goal and into the net – a good reminder to always play to the whistle.

Whiteknights pressed forward in the fourth quarter, and finally scored the equaliser with just a few minutes remaining. The Vixens half-cleared a corner, but the hosts fired in a well struck shot from the edge of the area to tie the match. It was a fair result in a game which was played in good spirit and was all about gaining experience. Both teams adapted well, and improved as the match progressed.

There were many good points for the Vixens – Mikala was excellent in goal, and her kicking was superb. The defence helped each other out with positioning, and began to push forward as a unit as the ball moved up the pitch. Throws and corners got better as the girls became used to the extra space, although they were still not comfortable about using the full width of the pitch. However, both midfield and attack mastered offside well, with Kelsey and Jaye looking to use the rule to their advantage.

Thanks go to Whiteknights for playing the game in good spirit, rotating all their players and not just chasing the result. We are particularly grateful to Richard for refereeing the game and helping both teams to adjust to the new format.

Squad: Mikala, Karis, Malicia, Ashleigh, Jade, Zoe, Nicole, Deanna, Jessica D, Felisha, Kelsey, Jaye, Yasmin

Scorers: Yasmin, Jaye (2, 1 pen)

The Vixens player of the match was Kelsey, who impressed throughout the game.