PUBLISHED 04 February 2020
It was another excellent Saturday morning of hockey with AKS hosting five Wakefield High School teams.
AKS U15/16 Team took to the field against a strong Wakefield side and with many players experiencing new positions we took time to settle and Wakefield took the lead in the 4th minute. As the game progressed our positional play and passing improved and we came close to equalising when Prisha outran the Wakefield defence and laid a great pass to Liberty, perfectly positioned on the left post, but her shot flew just wide. It was however Wakefield who scored next when poor marking allowed the Wakefield team time and space to work the ball into the circle and the free forwards made no mistake in finding the net to make it 2-0. Undeterred AKS lifted their game and Hannah, Poppy and Prisha linked well to put the Wakefield defence under pressure and create a number of scoring opportunities but at half time the score remained 0 – 2. The second half saw us start with confidence dominating possession and we again created scoring opportunities only to find an inform Wakefield keeper having an inspired game to keep the ball out of the net. Ellie, Alicia and Prisha dominated on the right we started to dictate the game however Wakefield were always dangerous on the break and great tackling at the back from Anna and a superb save from keeper Beth kept the score at 2 – 0. We deserved more from the second half which saw us dominate possession, play some great passing hockey and create most of the chances but goals eluded us and at the final whistle the score remained 0 – 2. Player of the match was Ellie for playing out of position all game and in 3 different roles.
It was a very frustrating game for AKS U14 side who totally dominated the game and virtually camped in the Wakefield circle for the second half but they could not beat an impressive Wakefield keeper and at full time had to settle for a goalless draw. The game started well with the speedy AKS attack putting Wakefield under pressure and we nearly went ahead after a good passing move down the left but Kate just failed to connect to a pass on the right post and the chance went begging. Lucy, Anna and Olivia dominated midfield and sound defending from Beth, Esmie, Maddie, Amelie S and Amelie L thwarted the Wakefield sorties on goal but at half time the scores were level. The second half saw us totally dominate play. We created many scoring opportunities, numerous corners came and went but determined Wakefield defence and excellent goalkeeping denied us the goal we deserved and at the final whistle they score was 0-0. Players of the match were Katie T and Anna.
The U13 A team played against a strong Wakefield side and enjoyed another win 6 – 2 playing some great team hockey. In an end to end game Carley dominated on the right wing and Jessie was always on hand to bag goals on the left post. Charlotte was a constant threat with her driving runs through the middle as well as her threat at corners which saw her score and hit the post. In defence Jessica thwarted many attacks down our left, Sophie marked well and all players contributed to an excellent team performance and victory. Player of the match was Pryanka. The U13B team had a close fought game against Wakefield B but despite battling hard came out on the wrong side of the 0-1 scorleine.
Despite conceding an early goal, brilliant teamwork saw the U12 A team come back to win their game by an impressive 11 – 1 scoreline. This convincing scoreline, their best of the season, was due to well timed passing and clinical finishing. In particular, the effectiveness of the slip pass in front of goal, an unselfish skill that is not often seen in such young players. Goals were shared between Layla (4) Laura (2), Lisa (2), Kirtika , Ruby and Esther. Throughout the game Layla led numerous attacks and fully deserved her 4 goal tally while Kirtika and Ruby both caused problems for their opponents with skilful runs on the right. Lisa, Lucy and Esther were faultless in defence, overlapping at the right time to set up attacks, with Lisa and Esther getting their names on the scoresheet. A strong defensive performance meant that goalkeeper Carrera did not have a lot to do but she kept her concentration and made a good reaction save when called upon to do so. It was a very pleasing team performance with all players implementing what they had worked on in training. Player of the match was Layla who as well as scoring four goals was also effective in creating chances for her team-mates.
With large U13 & U12 squads and Wakefield unable to field a U12 B team the AKS girls had an inter squad match with the U12B team taking on the U13C team. With neither team giving an inch it was a hard fought game with both teams playing some good hockey and creating chances to score but at the final whistle the older team claimed bragging rights with a narrow 1 – 0 victory.