Two teams from Bridgewater set off to Bury Grammar to take on the hosts in a girls football match. The A team were without Ellen, Freya and Jess from Prep 5, who had all played so well in a tournament earlier this year. The B team was made up of Prep 3 and 4 girls who have signed up for the Valencia trip this September. Therefore, it was an ideal opportunity for both teams to experience the game in more depth.
The A team kicked off against Bury Grammar B team and almost immediately went a goal down. A quick change saw Star come out of goal and into the heart of the defence and Juretha went in goal. The switch reaped its rewards as the game went on. Star was solid at the back, whilst Lily and Nyla ran tirelessly around the midfield. Dalia held her position out wide really well, but it was Isabella who took control of the match. Isabella scored 4 goals and Lily added two more to give the A team a deserved 6-1 win.
Over on the other pitch, the younger team were finding it tough going against the older A team from Bury. Molly and Holly worked energetically and enthusiastically to prevent wave after wave of attacks from their opponents. Anna, Evie and Mia all had a go in goal at some point and the girls did well to restrict Bury to just the six goals.
However, the best was still to come from the Prep 3/4 team, as they took on Bury Grammar B team. Molly was solid at the back and Holly found more space and time in midfield. The team created more opportunities in the game and were awarded two penalties to give them a chance to produce an unexpected win. The first was missed, but the second found the roof of the net and Bridgewater had a great 1-0 win over their older and more experienced opponents.
In the battle of the A teams, the game went from end to end with both teams having fabulous chances to win the game. Juretha made some very impressive saves in goal and Star and Dalia worked fiercely to stem the Bury attacks. Nevertheless, it was Bury who pounced on a defensive mix up to give the hosts a deserved lead.
As the match neared it’s conclusion, it looked as though Bridgewater had run out of energy and ideas. Fortunately, Isabella found the determination and the power to deliver two perfect free kicks. The first flew into the roof of the net from 20 yards out and despite the keeper parrying the ball on the second one, the ball trickled over the line to win the game with the last kick of the game!
The heat made the games more difficult for both teams and it was a credit to all players who kept going right to the very end. The girls were delighted with their performance and their wins and could not wait to get back to school to tell the boys how well they had done! The singing in the bus on the way back to Bridgewater made it feel like football really was coming home. Well done girls!