Ladies 2s slip to defeat

The Ladies 2's put up a plucky effort on Saturday against a rampant Uni of Reading team who should be higher in the table. The game was always going to be tough but having beaten the Uni side early in September 3-2 there was hope that we could get a result if we played our absolute best in the game.

The Uni team has clearly strengthened since the start of the season and having won every other game on the pitch, they started really strongly and peppered the P&R defence and keeper with shot after shot in the opening exchanges. P&R defended brilliantly to keep the score level but after 21 minutes they succumbed to a short corner. The first effort was blocked but the second strike snuck in to put the Uni 1-0 up.

P&R rallied and actually had a few chances to get in behind the Uni but couldn't get the lucky touch that they needed to get back into the game. With probably 75% possession, the Uni team looked really dangerous with every attack and after 10 mins of the second half they got their second from open play, followed 5 minutes later by a third from a short corner. The oranges didn't give up though and Jess Greener and Maisy King all did a great stint playing up front and trying to told up the ball for their team mates to join them.

The Uni finished off a great 10 minute spell for them with a fourth from open play on 50 minutes. The oranges rallied again and in the last 20 minutes found some energy from somewhere to get back at the Uni team but in a game of few chances they just couldn't get the finish they needed.

Caitlin Edgar again had a great game at right wing and had a running battle with the Uni left half which probably went 50:50 by the end of the game! Beth Tait-Alexander played really well out of position in left inner and worked well with Cleo Browne on the right inner to keep some pressure on the Uni in the second half. Jo Coate had a storming game in goal stepping up from the 3's and probably made about 30 saves by the end of the game.

The team certainly put in a big shift and if they play like that against every other team will be near the top of the table come the end of the season! Next week away at Wycombe at 10.10.