Woman 1st vs Minehead 1

North kicked off the match with the first pushback and quickly set the tone, creating several promising breaks early on. Minehead, however, proved to be challenging opponents, testing North’s defense with some strong attacking play. North didn’t take long to seize the advantage, with Selina opening the scoring with a composed shot taken from the baseline. North kept the pressure high, and their persistence paid off when they were rewarded with a short corner, which Shauna converted to make it 2-0.

The middle of the pitch was quite congested as both teams worked to control possession. However, there was space out wide which both teams looked to take advantage of. North made good use of this and moved the ball well round the back to find the space out on the wings, followed by good link up play with the forwards to create goal scoring opportunities. Special mention goes to MOTM Gaby who, despite being regularly surrounded by Minehead players, kept her composure and skillfully gained North a number of short corners.

Kirstie then hammered home a powerful shot from the top of the D, with Martika doing a well-timed duck to avoid being hit, which extended North’s lead to 3-0. Minehead responded with a well-taken short corner, pulling one back to make it 3-1 at the break.

The second half saw fewer goals on the board, but North maintained the majority of possession and had a number of opportunities but just couldn’t find the net. Minehead caught North on the break a few times with some strong attacking play down the middle, but fortunately our strength in midfield meant that Minehead rarely reached our D.

We had a number of short corners in the 2nd half, but were unable to convert them. Credit to Minehead’s defence, who stayed strong and managed to read one of our short corners and catch us on the break. Thankfully, our solid defensive line was there waiting for them.

North continued to use the width, putting our Tuesday night drills into practise. Some precise passing down the right hand side gave Martika the chance to drive down the baseline and slot it past the keeper to make it 4-1. 

In the end, the team’s discipline and determination paid off, securing a well earned victory against a strong side.