MR Hotshots 6 d Dunsborough 3                    

For the fourth week in a row the Hotshots girls were not daunted by inferior numbers and were victorious in a stunning display of precision football. With 9 players on the field the Hotshots knew that they had to dominate possession and use the ball smartly to overcome the disadvantage. They did that and more as they controlled the ball right from the last line through the midfield and into attack.

 

I can honestly say that never in my life have I seen a game of football at junior level where so many passes have found the feet of a team mate. It started right from the first goal. Sarafina Rooks in defence passed to Sorcha Fox on the wing, who took it down the sideline then crossed it in to be converted by Ebony Darnell on the far post. It continued with Jasmine Mawdsley using great judgement in defence to attack the ball and find players in the midfield. Tash Rigby, channelling a bit of Andrew McLeod, provided an attacking platform from central defence.  They say that attack is the best form of defence and with 9 players attack was all we had.

 

Time and again the ball went forward through Tash, Jordan Bernhardt and Sorcha, to be crossed in to the perfectly positioned Zaneta Van Zyl and Ebony Darnell. Ebony followed on from her first goal with a great chip over the keeper for her second. Jordan then finished off her own great work with a long range strike to make it 3-0. Ebony capitalised on some great linking play by Sarafina and Lisa Baddock to seal her hat trick and a 4-0 lead at halftime. The highlight of that passage was hearing Tash talk to each ball carrier as they went down the field. Even though she didn’t touch the ball she was as much a part of the goal as everyone else.

 

With halftime came the spirit-lifting arrival of Evie Koster straight from the airport and Bali to take us to 10 players. Evie injected some tropical energy into the side to play her best game for the club and give us much needed drive off the defensive line, earning the Chooks award for this week.

 

Our close proximity to a full team was all too readily diminished when Michaela Parrott; after making a welcome return to central defence from illness, paid for her hard work by nearly passing out and being forced into a chair under a shady tree.

 

Back to 9 the team wasn’t daunted. Tash continued running hard and set up Sarafina who finally put one in after hitting the woodwork many times. And Tash got one herself after a Jordan run all the way from defence set Tash free inside the box.

 

A last highlight was a Tash break from our defence; she carried the ball so quickly down the field that by the time she got to the edge of the Dunsborough box she was surrounded by Dunsborough defenders and no other Hotshots player was over halfway.

 

As the side tired Dunsborough put in 3 good goals to construct the final score line, but nothing will diminish the memories of the beautifully constructed soccer I saw on this day.