Ladies 1s back on track

Marlborough put their first points on the board for the new season today with a hard fought win over Salisbury. A positive, attacking start saw Marlborough dominate the first 15 minutes with countless chances just missing the last touch into the goal. Alice Thompson prowled around the goal mouth, putting in some clever runs to get shots on or around the goal but the home side couldn’t quite convert. A series of short corners followed for Marlborough which went smoothly but again the team couldn’t quite find the back of the net. As the game progressed into the second quarter Salisbury began to get a foothold in the match and made some quick breaks towards goal requiring the Marlborough goal keeper, Vicky Moxham, to make a number of crucial saves. As the momentum switched Salisbury’s way, the Marlborough defence were having to remain calm and work the ball out through the press finding the channels and attempting to reverse the pressure. The first half ended at 0-0 with both teams reflecting on missed opportunities.
Marlborough started the second half with drive and determination which quickly saw them win a short corner after swift movement of the ball down the right hand side of the pitch.
A clean injection from Alice Fanshawe was followed by a blinding strike from Neve Beer which the Salisbury defence kindly deflected into the back of the goal. Maintaining the momentum, Marlborough were on the attack again with Tori Williams winning a second short corner in quick succession. Another clean injection and well fired strike from Neve saw the ball slip underneath the keeper taking Marlborough to a 2-0 lead. Salisbury were still hunting for a goal though and were looking dangerous on the break where they were using speed to their advantage. Some concise passing up the right side of the pitch lead to an overload in Salisbury’s favour which ended in a carefully worked goal behind lifted in over the Marlborough keeper. This wasn’t enough for Salisbury though and a third goal from Neve Beer in open play saw the game conclude with Marlborough very much in control and enjoying a 3-1 victory. Congratulations to Neve Beer on her first hat trick of the season and to Alice Thompson and Jess Davis for winning joint man of the match.