The Sevenoaks Ladies 1s team kicked off the second half of the season with a 3-0 win against hosts, Wimbledon, on Saturday afternoon.
The first five minutes of the game started with real intensity and speed from the away team, Sevenoaks. Several goal scoring opportunities came for Sevenoaks early on, but they were held off by a resilient and well-structured Wimbledon defence. The second quarter saw McKenzie Bell slot a rebound past the Wimbledon keeper, getting Sevenoaks their first goal of the match. The score at halftime was 1-0 to Sevenoaks.
Wimbledon came out firing after the halftime break and created some good goal scoring opportunities. The game was still up for grabs. However, nothing was a match for the new Sevenoaks goalkeeper, Jess Buchanan, on her debut for the club with some stellar saves throughout the game.
Later into the second half, Wimbledon conceded a card. A poor tackle on McKenzie Bell ,who was carrying the ball at speed up the right-hand side-line, saw Wimbledon with a player down. The Sevenoaks connections and opportunities continued to build as the game went on. The second goal came through some individual brilliance from Captain Kate Faulkner. A silky piece of skill along the baseline and a flick over the Wimbledon keeper for Sophie Maunder to tap into the back of the net meant Sevenoaks went up 2-0.
Sevenoaks were awarded a number of penalty corners in the final quarter and Natasha Brennan made sure they weren’t wasted. A perfectly placed drag flick, bottom left of the goal, meant Sevenoaks secured their victory over Wimbledon. The final score was 3-0 as the game ended.
Sevenoaks Mens 1s v Old Cranleighians
Sevenoaks were feeling good coming into the first game of the second half of the league season after a strong indoor campaign and an enjoyable pre-season win against a tough East Grinstead side on Tuesday evening. With debutants Stephen Hunter and Ryan Mann joining the team, the boys in purple were looking for three points to start 2023 on the right track.
However, they were put on the back foot from the first whistle with Old Cranleighians piling on the pressure, hungry for some much-needed points. Only thanks to some key saves from Tom Brocklehurst did Oaks keep the score level going into the Q1 break.
The pressure continued to mount into the second quarter and OC’s went 1-0 up after a nice move down the Sevenoaks touchline. This became 2-0 shortly after, with a penalty stroke cooly slotted into the top right corner of Brocklehurst’s goal.
Halftime gave the Oaks side an opportunity to reset, and the boys felt as if a comeback was on the cards. Unfortunately, an unexpected turnover in the middle of the pitch resulted in a well thrown aerial and volley combination that took the score to 3-0.
Buoyed by the support of our home fans, Sevenoaks fought hard for the remainder of the game, with Paul Mcleod re-opening his account for the season with a well taken penalty corner. Sevenoaks looked better in the fourth quarter but unfortunately couldn’t convert any further chances and the game finished 3-1.
Sevenoaks will look to bounce back with a tough fixture in Bath next weekend.
