Martin and Acock Norfolk

Women’s League

Division One

AFTER suffering only their second loss of the season last weekend against Pelicans seconds, league champions Magpies were looking to bounce back strongly against another Pelicans side, their third team.

Magpies came out with a slightly different formation to recent weeks, employing a diamond in the midfield and playing without a sweeper, hoping that this would give them more attacking options, and the gamble paid off, when centre forward Kay Dennis gave the home side the lead within five minutes; rounding two players in the D to slot cooly past the ‘keeper. Pelicans, however, were dangerous on the break and when a loose ball was picked up in the D they equalised with a sharp shot.

This seemed to galvanise Magpies, and shortly after, Dennis played a good ball to Laura Schultheiss on the half-way line, who ran the ball all the way into the D and fired home to give Magpies back their lead. Schultheiss then returned the favour for Dennis, when she found space on the right wing to smack a cross into the D for Dennis well-placed in front of the ‘keeper to score and extend the home side’s advantage. Magpies continue to pepper the Pelicans goal with shots on target but the Pelican’s defence and ‘keeper stayed strong going into the break.

Magpies came out for the second half knowing they were the better side and were on the hunt for more goals. Schultheiss was again provider when she played a sharp pass through to Kay Dennis, who with the most delicate of touches, slipped the ball past the advancing ‘keeper to complete her hat-trick. And Dennis got her fourth goal shortly after when a Pelicans ‘keeper error left her with an open goal. Pelicans were still not going to give up and they got a scrambled second goal midway through the half. Magpies continued to search for more goals, with some excellent link up play between Dennis and Schultheiss on the forward line, and Schultheiss was unlucky not to extend her goals tally. And with Rosie Blackmore giving yet another brilliant performance in the midfield, complemented by Lucy Crawford’s attacking display at the top of the pyramid, Magpies’s victory was never in doubt.

A fantastic performance from Magpies showing that even with the league title already won, their desire to win is second to none, and with only one game left Magpies are hoping to finish on a high!